Ancient Desert Winds
by Kuna Longshanks
Summary: Wes is a Pokemon Snagger. A thief and breaker of the bonds between people and Pokemon. But when he leaves that life with a bang, he doesn't realize how much his future will be changed by the creatures he helped steal. Pokemon Colosseum novelization.
1. Chapter 1: Eclo Canyon

**Hello, and welcome to the first story of my Pokemon series. Have fun!**

* * *

 _Eclo Canyon, 2995 A.K.W (After Kalosian War)_

The sun beat down on the canyon walls, heating the rock to temperatures that could fry eggs. The air shimmered, casting mirages to confuse the unwary traveler. Many people wouldn't want to travel through the middle of the Orre desert, with its wild desert Pokémon. People didn't travel to the Orre region either, because of the crime rates and syndicates.

One such syndicate was going to get a nice surprise today.

Team Snagem's base lay within the canyon, protected on three sides. It would take a powerful force to take the base, and that security made the grunts and leader complacent. A scout stayed at the canyon entrance to keep watch.

Wes was on duty for the afternoon. He was unassuming, with his gray hair and wiry body. His blue duster and black outfit were discolored by sand and dirt. A pair of wrap-around shades kept the grit out of his eyes and hid them completely. Wes stood, and he began to run.

His shift was far from over, but Wes didn't care. He ran along the canyon edge, back toward the base. No one could know what he was about to do. Being caught would mean that he would answer to the boss, Gonzap. Being caught meant saying goodbye to his only two friends in this world. He had enough of this game, running and stealing and being told what do. Gonzap being his boss was just icing on the proverbial cake.

No one should be able to tell Wes what to do, and no one threatened his friends.

His hands rested on the two Pokéballs on his belt. His friends, Harmatten and Leveche, were the only thing that he cared about in this world. His teammates would be as likely to stab him as to help him. Gonzap would kill him if he did something wrong. Harmatten and Leveche were the only ones to help out of friendship. Nothing could break the bond between them.

Wes halted, and dove behind a rock spur. The base was below him. The hover vehicles were all parked outside, including Wes's bike. No one was outside. This was the reason Wes was given noon shift. No one else could tolerate the heat as well as Wes could. His mother used to say it was the nomad blood in his veins, drinking in the harsh sunlight and turning his skin dark.

Wes shook his head and cased the rest of the base. Reminiscing would have to wait; there was stuff to do. The wall into _that_ room was clear. No one was allowed in the room without being accompanied by someone Gonzap trusted. Wes was really the only one who went in there, because he was the only Snagger capable enough to use the equipment.

Wes felt a small shiver run up his back at the thought of the Snag Machine inside. The large, immobile Snag Machine was for rewriting the codes put into Pokéballs, making the devices able to snag already caught Pokémon. The Pokéballs would lose the code in three days, and the most worthwhile locations for snagging were farther than that. The second Snag Machine was portable, and fitted over the left arm of the Snagger. The coding was instantaneous, and the Pokéballs was thrown immediately afterwards.

A small smile crept up Wes's face. Maybe he would leave a more fitting good-bye present.

* * *

Gonzap snoozed lightly in his chair, the midday heat making him drowsy. The other grunts were in the same state, and Gonzap would have shouted at them. But that would require too much energy to pull off. Besides, Wes was on scout duty. He would alert them to any danger.

Thoughts about that young man filtered into Gonzap's barely awake mind. He wasn't very stocky or vicious like the rest of the grunts. He was lean and careful, the opposite. He needed watching, because he occasionally got that look in his gold eyes. The spark of irritation at every order he gave the man wasn't lost on him. Sooner or later, Wes would turn on the team. But he couldn't do that, at least not now. Not with his Pokémons' lives hanging in the balance. Wes had no other home, and no way to get anywhere with the gas rationing he'd been doing. If he betrayed them now, he would be in the Pyroars' den with no way out. So the gifted Snagger had no chance of rebelling against him.

Another grunt yawned as he passed the open office door. Gonzap still thought about the Snagger. He had grown from the half-starved youngling one of the grunts had found on a job. The now long gone employee had brought him back to the base, saying that the boy had potential. Wes had been trained in the art of Snagging by the older grunt, until he left without reason. Gonzaap assumed that the man had died in the desert while out on a job.

Thoroughly tired now, Gonzap settled deeper into the chair at his desk. Nothing could happen today, and nothing interesting would happen tomorrow either. He began to snore-

BOOOOOOOM!

The head of Team Snagem bolted out of his chair. A deep sound of explosions going off in the base rumbled through the air. Gonzap growled, mad over his nap being interrupted and the stupidity of his underlings. No doubt one had accidentally set off a bomb or used an overly powerful attack from their Pokémon.

Grunts hung out of the doors in the hideout, listening for worse explosions. Gonzap stomped down the hall. He was this close to ripping someone a new one. A sooty grunt came running down the hall, eyes wide with fear. Gonzap grabbed the grunt by the collar and lifted him off the floor.

"What the hell is the problem here?" Gonzap growled. The grunt's face broke out with beads of sweat and his Adam's apple bobbed.

"Sir! We have a problem!" He squeaked.

"No shit," Gonzap said through his gritted teeth. "But I wanna know what's goin' on. Bounty hunters? Police force?"

The grunt shook his head, and his next words caused Gonzap to see red.

"Someone's after the Snag Machines."

* * *

Wes coughed as the dust settled. The large Snag Machine was no longer operational due to several holes in it. The portable one was on its stand with no damage, save for a light coating of dust.

He walked into the room. His Umbreon, Harmatten, kept watch outside. Leveche, his Espeon, psychically streamed gas from several vehicles' tanks into Wes's bike.

The Snag Machine was lifted off the stand and Wes's arm slipped into it. The shoulder pauldron clipped with a circular clip onto his coat. His fingers wiggled as the machine whirred to life. Dark red lines shone as the power came on.

Wasting no more time, Wes dashed out of the ruined room. Harmatten followed him, his red eyes sparkling with happiness. Using Swift to detonate the charge had been the Umbreon's favorite part. Leveche picked the gas cap of the bike up and telekinetically screwed it back on.

"GET BACK HERE!" a voice roared. Wes looked back.

All of Team Snagem was outside, with the boss himself leading them. Gonzap's eyes glinted with murderous intent. Wes didn't feel the familiar flash of fear that the shout usually provoked.

He jumped on his bike and turned the key. Harmatten jumped aboard as well, and he rubbed his nose with his littermate. The engine sputtered and coughed, but soon roared to life. Black smoke came from the exhaust pipe as Wes stomped on the gas pedal. The gray-haired Snagger steered out of the canyon and raced away. No one could catch him now.

He grinned, and pressed a device in his hand. The resulting boom made his grin grow even wider, and he pushed his googles up. His gold eyes glowed with success and relief.

Wes didn't notice the Skarmory following him in the desert sky.

* * *

 **A/N: ...And the adventures of the Pokemon world begin! If some of you have seen my profile, you can see some of the stories that are in the works. If you have questions or comments, don't hesitate to leave a review.**

 **~Kuna Longshanks**


	2. Chapter 2: The City of Water

**Hey guys! I'm back after a busy soccer season. But we aren't here for soccer, but for this story. I would like to thank supersmach and Thunderblade14 for the fav, and hope I haven't kept you waiting to long.**

 **Now, on to the show!**

* * *

The Outskirt Stand sat in the middle of a sea of sand and rock. It was a locomotive engine sitting in the sand, and in its heyday hauled goods north and into the port at the Haruba Desert. But now the rusted steam engine sat and weathered sandstorms. It was the closest friendly place to Eclo Canyon.

Wes parked his bike beside the fuel pumps. Harmatten and Leveche had curled up in the sidecar hours ago, almost right after the Team Snagem base went up in smoke. The afternoon sun made Wes squint as he got off. His two Eeveelutions stuck their heads out of the sidecar, their nap now out of the way.

"Stay here." Wes said, his voice gruff. Ears lowered in disappointment. Wes rolled his eyes and headed toward the door. A shop bell rang as the door was pushed open.

"Man, that was some good grub!"

Two men sauntered out of the joint, patting their stomachs. Wes immediately noted that the two must of just eaten, judging by the grease stains ringing their mouths.

The blond man smiled. "Yeah, nothin' like pigging out after a job." He said, "I'm stuffed!"

Wes shook his head and walked by them. They didn't concern him. Their banter was even less significant. He needed out of this hellhole of a region before his former teammates found him, or worse. He headed inside after they took off.

No voices greeted Wes when he went in. No one, not even the bartender, made a sound. All eyes were glued to the TV.

" _This just in, Regional police were alerted to an explosion from Eclo Canyon. The police found evidence of what appears to the remains of the feared Team Snagem's base. No bodies were found, and the base was deserted by the time police arrived. The feared Snag Machine was counted among the damage."_ The news anchor looked to the right and received another piece of paper. _"Reports say that there is a possibility of the portable Snag Machine still being used is high. Citizens should still be on the lookout for Team Snagem."_

Wes silently cursed under his breath. The fact that the media had caught on so quickly was a bad omen. The region would be wary, and Team Snagem would be watching to. He would have to be doubly careful now.

The bartender waved at Wes. "Can I get you something?"

"Just some water."

The bartender nodded, his face unreadable. Wes sat at the bar and casually took stock of the room. A man and a woman at one table had their heads close together, talking. A man in a pink shirt sipped iced tea from a tall glass. A biker in the back sat with his arms around the back of his seat, contemplating the empty dish in front of him. Nothing gave Wes the feeling of danger.

With his water finished, Wes headed back out. The wind had settled a little, giving him time to make one more stop in Phenac City before heading to Gateon.

"Hey!"

Wes turned, and was greeted by the biker from inside the Stand.

The biker held out his hand. "I'm Weston. You are?"

Wes ignored the offered hand. "What do you want?"

"Jus' a friendly competition between two wand'rers."

Wes's eyebrows rose higher, receding into his hairline. Weston kept talking.

"You got that spark in ya eye, jus' like me. So I was gonna challenge you to a little battle, that's all."

Wes considered carefully. The sun was still high in the sky. He needed to relax, and the two Eeveelutions would welcome this distraction.

"Fine. You'll have your battle."

Weston grinned. "Alright. We'll just use this space."

With a sharp whistle, Harmatten and Leveche were at Wes's side. Weston threw two Pokéballs and a couple of Zigzagoon appeared.

"Use Tackle!" Weston yelled.

Wes smiled. "Harmatten. Leveche. Use Bite and Confusion."

Harmatten's red eyes glowed as he rushed forward. His mouth started to drip with tar-like drool. Leveche twitched her tail, sending a small psychic wave forward. Both Zigzagoons were buffeted by the attacks, but one connected its Tackle with Leveche. She skidded a short distance away.

"Again" Wes called, his voice steady.

Both Eeveelutions rushed forward, eager to fight. The Zigzagoons fought back with a display of Tackles and Tail Whips, but both fell within two minutes. Weston covered his defeat well, only frowning a little and shaking Wes's hand. He handed off the money he owed.

"If you're ever around these parts again, drop on by."

Wes nodded. Staying any longer was a stupid idea. He and his Pokémon boarded the bike and were off.

The sun set lower on the horizon. Leveche yawned, her purple fur ruffled by the wind. Both Pokémon pulled their tired bodies in the sidecar. The edge of the desert shimmered in the afternoon heat. Wes felt like he should be unbearably hot in his longer coat, but he didn't feel it. Just felt like normal weather.

He thought about his plans. Leave Orre. Don't get caught, and don't Snag anymore. First thing he was going to do on the ship from Gateon was tossing the infernal machine on his arm off the boat and letting it sink to the bottom. Then he and his Pokémon would be free to do as they wished.

But where would they go?

Sinnoh, Fiore, and Almia were too cold. Wes didn't like the cold. Neither did Harmatten and Leveche.

Hoenn, Oblivia and that other weird place were island nations. No vast expanses to use his bike. And those places had torrential rain instead of snow. Orre got too cold to snow.

Kanto and Johto had the climate and terrain he wished. Not too dry, not too wet. But they were rumored to have crime problems rivalling the place he was leaving.

Kalos made him sneer. From what he'd seen, they didn't welcome anyone not soft and demure. He was all sharp, hard edges.

Unova was the safest bet. The only thing close to a syndicate was an environmental group that just started.

 _Boat to Unova it is._ Wes mentally decided. They would all be safe there. But they first needed to get to Gateon Port without being caught.

Ivory walls rose in the distance. Phenac City was just ahead. Maybe he could restock supplies before he left again. No one could catch him, because Phenac had nothing to offer any criminal. No one would be there.

 _Nothing could go wrong._ Wes thought.

* * *

 **A/N: What will happen next?**


	3. Chapter 3: Rui

**AN: Hey guys! I have got the next chapter of this fanfic up and running, hope you enjoy.**

 **rylek196: Thanks for your feedback!**

 **Now, on to the show! What awaits Wes in the pristine City of Water?**

* * *

Wes facepalmed. This was the most cringe-inducing thing he had to watch, and he used to belong to a syndicate until almost a half day ago.

The two men from the Outskirt Stand were trying to sneak a sack into the city. While shouting at each other. Through the main gate. With two witnesses watching.

Wes groaned inwardly. _Who taught these goons? Obviously a complete and utter moron._

The goggles man's hand signal at his friend stopped Wes's heart in his throat. He knew that sign.

 _Cipher._

Wes calmly snapped his fingers. Harmatten and Leveche jumped from the sidecar, eyes glowing with anticipation. He was going to nonchalantly walk by, and hope he wasn't seen. If these two idiots were Cipher, then he couldn't afford any notice.

"SOMEONE HELP ME!" the bag shrieked.

"Tch, guess that gag wasn't tight enough." The blond man said.

The googles man gave him a death glare. "And whose fault is that, Folly?"

Folly shrugged. He didn't say another word and Wes attempted to breeze by. But the googles man caught his eye. Wes shifted away.

"Hey you!"

Wes stopped dead. "Shit." He growled.

"Whadda think you're doin'?" growled the googles man. "Getting in the way?"

Wes put his hands up in a nonthreatening gesture. "I was only tryin' to get in. I ain't seen nothin'."

Folly kicked the bag, drawing out a muffled yelp from inside. Wes tried really hard to not flinch.

"I think he's lyin'." Folly said. "Maybe we can beat his ass and take the rare Pokémon he's got."

"You don't want to do that." Wes said, his voice quiet. Harmatten's rings began to pulse. Leveche's red gem sparked with psychic energy.

Two Whismur came from the Pokéballs on Folly's waist. The purple rabbits gave one look at the two felines and began to tremble.

"Whismur, use Uproar!" Folly shouted. Both Whismur began to send shockwaves of sound at Harmatten.

"Use Bite, Harmatten."

Harmatten's jaws leaked black drool as he advanced on the rabbits. The left one balked and switched its attack to Leveche, who blocked with a Psychic wall. The Whismur on the right cried out as Harmatten's jaws sunk in. It fainted.

Wes pointed at the last one. "Leveche, Use Return."

Leveche rushed forward, her eyes glowing white. She bowled over the remaining Whismur, making it faint. Both rabbits were withdrawn.

Folly and the goon with googles ran away, throwing threats over their shoulders. The two witnesses gazed at Wes with awe.

"Tch, Amateurs." Wes growled.

One of the witnesses crouched near the bag. She tried to loosen the knots, but her manicured hands didn't have the strength. Neither did the other witness, a young man with a Castform floating around his head.

The woman looked up at Wes. "Can you help? We can't get it loose."

Sighing, he began to untie the bag. The woman calmly told the captive that they were fine, that someone had chased them off. Finally, the last knot came free.

"There you go." The woman said, helping the captive out of the bag.

The captive was a young woman with red hair. Her hair was mussed and a reddish streak was left on her cheeks from the gag. She smoothed her ruffled shirt and skirt.

"Thank you. Those men captured me when I got to Pyrite Town." She said, bowing to the jogger.

"I didn't help you. That guy over there did." He said, pointing Wes. Wes rolled his eyes and hung his head. He didn't need this. He was going to get caught at this rate. Purple boots entered his field of vision.

"Thank you." The young woman said, scuffing her boots on the sandy street.

"Don't make it a habit." Wes replied coldly. The faster he got this over with, the better.

The jogger tapped the young woman's shoulder. "If you don't mind me asking, what is your name and where are from?"

"My name is Rui." The young woman said. "I need to talk to the authorities."

Wes snorted. Surely she wasn't serious. Phenac may be one of the straighter cities in Orre, by they were far from anything she was used to.

"Maybe," said the woman. "But you may need someone to escort you. You don't even have Pokémon."

"I do." Said Rui, patting two Pokéballs on her belt. "There's nothing we can't handle. But I might need someone strong to help me."

"Maybe you two can go see Mayor EsCade about this." The jogger said, pointing to Wes and Rui. "He is always willing to lend an ear to those in trouble."

"No."

All heads turned to Wes.

"Why not?" Rui demanded. "I need someone to help me."

"I need to get outta here. Looking after someone isn't in the plan." Wes stated. "At all."

Rui reached into the small bag on her belt. "I'll pay anything. Just please help me."

Wes felt Leveche rub against his leg. The psychic feline was staring at Rui, giving the girl a thoughtful look. A feeling came to Wes.

 _She'll just get herself into more trouble. There's more to her than meets the eye. She is strong, and a potential asset._

 _Who asked you?_ Wes thought.

Leveche rolled her purple eyes _. Sassiness is unbecoming, Wes. Her fate, our fate, it's all intertwined. She is part of the key of getting us out of this mess.I see an ability no one I have met has. Give her a chance._

Wes groaned, cursing Leveche's ability to reason. Rui gave him a hopeful look.

"Fine," Wes sighed. "But on one condition. You listen to me, no matter what. And no questions."

[Line break]

"What's that?"

Wes resisted the urge to groan.

Rui looked all over Phenac in their efforts to find the Mayor's house, exclaiming at every new thing she found. Wes had to resist picking her up and carrying her over his shoulder to prevent her running off. They finally got directions from a kind old man that lead them to Phenac's business district.

The Mayor's office was a low building made of the white limestone that all buildings in this place were made of. The door opened as the duo came close.

A tall man stepped out of the office. He wore a purple bodysuit with a ragged, purple wraparound belted to his waist. Blue-gray hair cascaded down the man's shoulders. Wes felt his hands twitch as an instinctive need to put his hands on his Pokéballs as the man continued their way. He also felt Rui shrink back behind him, clutching his arm.

The man stopped in front of them. Coldness seemed to freeze Wes in his footsteps as they were looked over.

"I assume you two are traveling trainers?" The man asked. "I look forward to seeing you both in the future."

Wes barely had time to answer as the man turned around and headed for the gate out of town. The mysterious man was soon gone, but the chill of his arrival still stuck around. Wes felt his arm starting to tingle, as Rui had yet to release her death grip on him. She did after meeting his stern expression.

"Do you know him?" Rui asked.

Wes snorted. "No. And I want to keep it that way."

The duo headed into the Mayor's office, unsure of what business a man like that could have here.

The office was as bright as the rest of Phenac City. Book shelves lined the walls, and a secretary typed away at a desk. A portly man sat at the center desk, engrossed by the papers and holoscreen on his desk.

"We here to see the Mayor." Rui said. "It's really important."

"That would be me." The portly man said. "What bring you to our fair city?"

Rui began to tell the Mayor of her kidnapping. Wes just stood, but his ears perked when Rui began to explain why she had been taken. The mayor stayed calmed and collected throughout Rui's story.

"-I saw this Pokémon with a black aura around it. The men noticed me and chased me all the way to Pyrite's colosseum, and then I got here."

Wes had heard of Pokémon that gave off black clouds, like Koffings. They were just rumors, or so he thought. The Mayor seemed intrigued by Rui's tale, too.

"My, my." The mayor stated. "You have been through quite an ordeal. I would be glad to help you."

"Oh! Thank you, Mr. Mayor!" Rui said, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

The mayor smiled. "Anything to keep Phenac a safer place. Now why don't you two go rent a hotel room and meet with me tomorrow? Then we can begin to address this problem."

[linebreak]

After they left his office, the duo headed for the hotel. They had booked a room and were waiting in the room. Leveche and Harmatten were out, having a good meal. Rui was taking a bath. Wes stared out the window at the azure water running past the street.

"I don't like it."

Leveche looked up, sending a question through their link.

"Why would the mayor listen to us? He has to have bigger problems than us, so why help?"

 _Maybe he has had those close to him in similar situations._

Wes shook his head. "He would have acted angry. He's up to something, and I don't like it."

"Up to what now?"

Wes turned around. Rui stood there, in loose pajamas and a towel wrapped around her hair.

"Who were you talking to?" Rui asked.

"Leveche."

"Who's Leveche?"

Leveche rubbed against Rui's leg, acting like a Purrloin kit. Wes plugged his ears at Rui's adoring, but not too loud, squeal.

"She is SO cute!"

Leveche gave Wes a passing look as Rui petted on her. He scowled at her.

"Little shit…" Wes murmured. Harmatten decided to make himself known, and soon Rui had a lapful of Eeveelution.

"Where did you get these two?" Rui asked.

"Huh?" was Wes's reply.

"Eevee's are extremely rare. Especially females. So either their wild, or someone lost a couple of kits."

Wes frowned and looked away. He spotted a poster out the window, promoting Phenac's battle colosseum. His frown turned into a smirk. A battle, just what he needed.

"Come on. They have to be special, because you raised them well." Rui said.

Wes walked to the door, giving a sharp whistle and beckoning his Pokémon. They jumped out of Rui's lap and bounded over.

"Where are you going?" asked Rui. "Aren't you going to wait here?"

"Sorry, but I got something's to take care of." Wes said. "Be back in a bit."

"Uh-uh!" Rui growled. "I'm going with you, and you aren't skipping out on me. You agreed to help me!"

"Reluctantly, yes." Wes sighed. "But if it pleases Her Majesty, then I'll wait three minutes for her to get dressed."

Rui's cheeks flushed an angry red at the verbal jab. She went back into the bathroom to get her clothes. Harmatten and Leveche both looked up at Wes.

"We're in for it." Wes sighed. "We're really in for it."

* * *

 **AN: Rui's a part of the team now! Unlike a lot of other people out there, I really didn't mind having Rui tag along through our adventures, and it was fun playing tag in Agate village.**

 **One question before you guys go. In Pokemon Sun and Moon, there are these things known as Ultra Beasts.**

 **...**

 **What the heck are they? I mean, they look intriguing. But they really don't look like Pokemon, ya know. So are they man-made? From beyond the veil of reality? Or are they space viruses like Deoxys?**

 **The world can only wonder...**


	4. Chapter 4: The Standoff

**I have the next chapter right here, guys! And boy its a doozy. I would like to thank all of you that have given reviews, you guys have no idea how much those brighten up my day. I'm sorry I didn't get this uploaded upon completion. The night that I finished it, it snowed about four inches at my house and it screws our internet up.**

 **To Anon, I'm not sure about there being any romance in this story. I'm one of those people that feel really awkward when they write romance. I think it has to do with my personality. If it happens, it's definitely going to be a long time from now...**

 **And now, on to the show!**

* * *

"I'm sorry, but the Colosseum challenge has started and registration was closed. Please come back tomorrow."

Wes walked back from the desk, his face drawn into a scowl. He got here too late.

Rui was sitting on a bench, staring up at the mosaics on the ceiling. She looked over.

"Didn't get in?" She asked innocently.

"What do you think?" Wes growled. He wasn't in the mood for this.

Rui shrugged. "Better luck next time, right?"

Wes sat down. He felt trapped, with the only outlet for his frustration denied. How people dealt with things like this normally was beyond his comprehension.

"We should head back." Rui said. "It's getting dark."

Wes looked out the entrance. Sure enough, the horizon was starting to turn orange. There were also three figures coming toward the entrance, but they looked like they might be late challengers like him.

"Let's go." Wes sighed.

They walked out, the desert air cooler in this part of the day. The three figures stopped, and Wes suddenly felt a trill of fear run through him.

They found him. Team Snagem found him.

"Wes?"

Rui's hand gripped his shoulder. While the gesture was normally appreciated by others, Rui had said his name a little too loudly. Three heads whipped in their direction.

"Well, well, well. Lookie who we have here."

Wes knew this one. His name was Williams. He and his friends had a tendency for being bullies, which is how they managed to steal the most Pokémon. The only one who took more Pokémon than them was Wes. No doubt they did want to get Wes to earn themselves a promotion.

"We was lookin' all over for ya." Williams said. "Ya shouldn't have blown the base to smithereens."

"What are they talking about?" Rui asked.

"Didn't ya know, hon?" said Williams. "Wes here was part of Team Snagem, until a little bit ago."

"He is a criminal of the highest degree." Said a second Grunt.

"Shut up." Growled Wes. "Either fight me or get outta my face."

Williams grinned, his hands already at his belt. Leveche and Harmatten leapt forward, hackles raised. They didn't like these guys any more than Wes did, and they were ready for battle as much as anyone. Williams brought out his Pokémon.

A Koffing and a Corphish, both seasoned veterans. The Koffing immediately began to spew noxious gas, causing an awful smell. Wes knew this was one of Williams' tactics. That Koffing could spew five different gases on command, one of them sleeping gas. He put his face into the crook of his elbow to mask his face.

"Corphish, Vice Grip on that Umbreon! Koffing, poison them!"

"Harmatten, Secret Power! Leveche, Confusion!"

Corphish rushed forward, its eyes fixed on Harmatten. It swung its pincers at him, cracking stone as Harmatten dodged. Harmatten's rings began to glow as he danced around. A burst of white arrows glanced off Corphish's shell, but the Vice Grip caught Harmatten in the stomach. It made a dull thud as it connected.

Wes flinched, but Harmatten managed to land on his feet. He didn't show any signs of pain. Umbreons had a reputation for being able to soak up hits. Wes turned part of his attention back to Leveche.

Leveche was in her element. With the type advantage, she didn't catch as much flak as Harmatten was at the moment. She kept confusing the Koffing into coughing up gas in Williams' direction, making him splutter. Koffing did manage to get Leveche caught in one cloud.

Harmatten regained his footing in time to dodge another Vice Grip. Wes muttered a couple curses. Williams was attacking with a strategy instead of blindly sending his Pokémon wherever. Not too difficult, but he hadn't faced anyone like this in months.

Williams' face was contorted into a snarl. "Corphish, use Bubble!"

"End it now." Wes said.

Leveche sent the Koffing crashing into Corphish with Confusion. While the effect was like tossing a balloon at it, the Koffing took the brunt of the Bubble attack. Harmatten leapt in with a Bite, finishing off the Koffing. Leveche moved in with Return and knocked Corphish down.

"NO!" yelled Williams. The other Snagem grunts dragged him away as he shouted curses. Wes called back his Pokémon, noting that he needed to visit the Pokémon Center. Leveche's Pokéball indicated she was poisoned and Harmatten's said he had some internal bruising. Nothing too serious, but to let injuries go untreated was dangerous for them all.

"Is it true?"

Rui's eyes were wide as Wes turned to her. His gut felt like it had been kicked as a feeling of came over him. Wes immediately squashed the feeling.

"Yeah, what about it?" Wes grumbled. The fight had unexpectedly left him feeling drained, and Rui's possible melodrama was not going to help.

"I just can't think of you as a criminal. You helped me." She scuffed her shoes against the stone walkway. "But it is true?"

"Every word. What're you gonna do about it?" Wes said. "You don't wanna stay, now that I'm a bad guy? Is that what you wanna say?"

"No!" Rui said, her eyes alarmed. "It's just-"

"It's just what?" Wes felt like tearing his hair out. Either she would leave or she would report him to authorities. Authorities in Phenac were different than the rest of the region, but escaping them shouldn't be too hard. Her leaving would speed his flight from Orre. But couldn't she decide faster?

"It's what I see in you. Even though you're tough, you have the soul of a caring person."

 _WHAT? Where did that come from?!_ Wes thought. _What kinda brainless things could she be cooking up with that statement?_

Rui looked him in the eye, and Wes felt his very assessment of Rui change on the spot. Her gaze wasn't that of a young woman, but of a far older person. He felt that familiar chill that had accompanied the guy walking out of the Mayor's office.

"C'mon." Rui said. "We need to go back and talk to the Mayor. He would want to know about the Team Snagem incident."

Wes nodded. Rui may not be such a bad traveling companion after all, when she got her act together.

They walked to the Pokémon Center. The center was calm, a nurse and several different healing Pokémon walking about. Wes reluctantly handed Harmatten and Leveche over to the nurse, and she put them in the healing unit. His initial assessment had been correct. Harmatten had no serious injuries, but the machine reported a slightly cracked rib. Leveche was given an Antidote and the two Eeveelutions were back with him in no time. Rui had laughed at him as they waited.

"Tap that leg any faster, and you're going to put a hole through the floor." Rui said jokingly.

Wes grunted. While she didn't raise his ire as much as before, her chatter and cheerful attitude was still grating.

With healed Pokémon in tow, they began the walk back to the hotel. The sky was dark blue, and a nebula of stars kept the place as light as day.

"What happens if those Snagem guys come back?" Rui asked.

Wes slowed his pace a little. "We turn and fight. Those Pokémon of yours any good?"

"I'm not much of a battler. But they can fight."

Wes nodded. They were quiet the entire way back. Both of them fell asleep as their heads touched the pillows.

* * *

Morning dawned. Wes was awake first, Harmatten and Leveche curled next to him. Rui still slept, mumbling every now and then. He went out for a bit, just keeping watch for any suspicious characters. No one odd made appearances. He got back just as Rui walked out of the door.

"Morning!" She chirped. "Ready to go?"

"Been ready." Wes said. "Let's go."

Harmatten and Leveche had been told last night that their days of riding in the sidecar would resume after they dropped off Rui. They weren't all that upset, but Wes felt bad for taking away some time to spend with them. Before they went, Rui had asked him an interesting question.

"How do you steal Pokémon?"

"What?" Wes asked.

"How do you steal Pokémon? If they're caught already, the coding in Pokéballs keep other people from catching your Pokemon, right?"

"Yes," Said Wes slowly. "Where are you going with this?"

"How do you do it?"

Wes patted his arm. He had taken to wearing the Snag Machine on his arm, in case someone tried to loot his bike. Rui nodded.

"I still need Pokéballs to do it, though." Wes said.

"We should maybe find some Pokéballs. We may encounter some strong wild Pokémon."

Wes snorted. "Pokéballs got banned in Orre after Team Snagem started up. Started a big uproar. We couldn't buy any if we wanted to."

A thoughtful look crossed Rui's face.

"Is there somewhere that might even remotely have a chance of selling them?" she asked.

"Snagem got theirs from a dealer in Kanto. There isn't a one in the region." Wes said. Actually, if they were to come by any of those, the Outskirt Stand would have some. The place wasn't the most legal of places. He suggested it.

Rui was more than delighted. As they headed out, Wes gave her a weird look.

"What?" Rui asked.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were born a criminal."

Rui made a face and stuck her tongue out at him as they drove out into the sand.

The trip didn't take as long as it did last time. Wes grinned every time Rui squealed as he avoided big rocks and the occasional Trapinch sand pit.

Nothing changed in the day since he had been here. The majority of bikes that had been here last time were gone, though. They slipped in the Stand.

"Hey there, stranger!" said the bartender to Wes. "Decided to come back?"

"I'm not here for food or water. I'm here for something else." Wes said.

"Hmm? Whatcha here for then?" said the bartender, one shoulder dipping to grab something below the counter.

Rui leaned in and motioned for the bartender to bring his ear closer. He did, with a look of skepticism on his face. She whispered something in his ear, and his eyebrows briefly rose.

"I got some of those, but ya didn't get 'em from me." Said the bartender, handing them a big cardboard box with a wink. Wes heard the rattle of Pokeballs inside.

"Thank you!" chirped Rui. The duo exited the stand, leaving a good amount of Poke in payment for the merchandise.

"What are we going to do with these?" Wes asked.

Rui grinned. "We're going to use them, of course!"

Wes fought the urge to smack his forehead. She couldn't be talking about stealing other people's Pokémon, could she? She was too pure to really be considering this.

"Please tell me you're joking." Wes muttered.

Rui shook her head as they climb on the bike. Wes knew there wasn't anything he could do to change her mind. He muttered some expletives under his breath.

 _This can't end well at all. I can't wait to dump her off, where ever that is._ He thought.

* * *

 **A/N: Well that was a good couple of days right there. Let me know if I need to improve on things, like my battle scenes.**

 **Have fun in this nice, snowy day! See you next chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5: Menacing Shadows

**Hey guys, sorry I'm late in uploading this. The Doc Manager wasn't letting me save my changes. Anyhoo, here's the next chapter.**

 **And Now, Our Feature Presentation!**

* * *

There was something going on as soon as Wes and Rui got back to Phenac that afternoon. The wind had died down, leaving a heavy sense of foreboding in the air. Wes felt the hair on the back of his neck rise, and Rui snaked her arm in his.

"What are you doing?" Wes growled.

Rui only clutched his arm tighter. The box of Pokeballs had been unloaded and extras stashed in the compartment under the sidecar. Wes thought about the extra Pokeballs he and Rui carried in their pockets.

"There is something going on." Said Rui.

People bustled up and down the streets as the duo walked back to the hotel. They checked out, still feeling that odd feeling. They carried their stuff back to the bike. As Wes tied the bags to the space between the sidecar and the bike, he finally recognized the feeling.

Something was watching them, and it wasn't friendly.

"Rui."

"Yeah?"

Wes gestured to the desert. "We should probably get going."

"But the Mayor promised to see us this afternoon. He said he might be able to give us some help."

Wes lightly ground his teeth together. The Mayor did promise them help; but that feeling of being watched was getting stronger the longer Wes watched the gates of Phenac.

He sighed. "Fine. But I don't like whatever's going on."

The way to the Mayor's office was crowded. People still kept going about their lives, oblivious to the danger they were possibly in. Wes walked through the crowds when Rui grabbed a hold of his hand. He hissed at the sudden contact.

"Wouldn't want to lose you, you know." Said Rui, giving his hand a squeeze. Wes rolled his eyes and freed his hand as they finally arrived at the Mayor's office. And met an odd sight.

A man stood before them, dressed in a gold jumpsuit that would have only been in style thirty years ago. His hair had been dyed half red-half white and teased up into a giant afro. Wes felt his nose sting as the heavy smell of perm cream wafted through the room. Three men in different colored uniforms stood next to him. And Folly and goggles man from a day ago were searching through the Mayor's desk.

Folly's head popped over the desk as they walked in.

"Hey, boss!" Folly shouted. "Look who dropped in on us!"

"It's the guy who took the gal from us!" said goggles man, pointing straight at them.

The feeling of danger crawled up Wes's neck as the man with the afro turned on his heels toward them. His face even had a touch of makeup to make the disco theme work. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of aviator sunglasses.

 _This is the man who trained those two? I hope for his sake they're just incompetent._ Wes said. But he could tell this man before him was way above the skill level of any of the people in this room.

"These darlings are the ones who gave you such trouble?" the disco man drawled in a falsetto voice. "My, my. You two bit off more than you could chew with this one."

Wes instantly hated the man for calling him _Darling_.

"That's him, Miror B.." Folly said. "And he has our captive with him."

"That won't do at all. Not one bit." Miror B. said, inspecting Wes and Rui. " You have no idea what is going on. Especially you, young lady."

Rui scooted behind Wes even more. Wes kept his grumbling to himself, for the situation had just gotten worse.

"You know her?" Wes asked, keeping his voice as emotionless as possible. He couldn't give anything away to these guys, especially if they were who he thought they were.

"Oh yes." Miror B. said. "That little lady behind you is very important to us. If you would just give her over to these two, I would be able to repay you."

Wes smirked. "Not a chance."

Miror B. sighed. "Oh well. Can't say I tried."

He nodded to the silent trio of uniformed men. They all went out the door, Miror B. following them. Before he left, he nodded to the goggles man. Wes caught the disco man's cruel smile as he left. This guy was serious.

Folly came forward.

"You won't get away a second time! I've been getting ready for this!"

The goggles man pushed his friends aside.

"Hey!" said Folly. "Trudly, whadda you think you're doing?"

Trudly grinned. "You failed already. It's my turn."

Folly looked like he would try to argue, but Trudly already had his Pokeballs in hand. Wes had Harmatten and Leveche at his side in a heartbeat.

Trudly sent out a Spinarak and a Duskull. Both weren't as weak looking as his cohort's. Wes chewed the inside of his lip as he thought. The Duskull was weak against Harmatten, which covered Leveche's weakness. But both were weak against the Spinarak. A strategy blossomed in Wes's mind.

"Harmatten, get that Duskull! Leveche, cover him!"

The felines leapt forward, side by side.

"You two, attack number 8!"

The two Pokémon scooted into the middle of the battlefield, Duskull lobbing indiscriminate Licks and Scary Faces. One lick nearly caught Leveche, but Harmatten stuck a paw out and caught it. His neck fur stood on end.

The Spinarak spewed a String Shot at Leveche, too. She ducked, and only caught some of the binding web instead of all of it. Wes felt a flash of disgust in his mind from Leveche.

 _I just cleaned this fur._ She grumbled.

 _Concentrate. Focus._ Wes sent back.

Harmatten was in the throes of paralysis, his fur standing on end at random intervals. Spinarak was busy with Leveche, so Harmatten wasn't totally helpless as Duskull sent attacks his way.

Wes grinned. "Leveche, stop the Spinarak."

Leveche's eyes glowed with psychic power as she lifted the Spinarak off the ground. Its legs scrambled for a surface. But it was too late.

 _Toss him at the Duskull._ Wes thought. Leveche laid back her ears in concentration. The Spinarak went flying, hitting its teammate. Duskull was semi-coporeal, so it only got knocked off course.

Spinarak kept flying until it hit the wall with a crack.

Trudly growled. "Spinarak, get up."

The spider Pokémon laid there. It had fainted on impact with the wall.

Trudly cursed and withdrew Spinarak. Wes had taken the time to slip Harmatten a Cheri Berry and a Potion. Trudly sent out a new Pokémon.

It was a Makuhita. Wes nearly grinned. It was weak against Leveche's attacks, and the battle was now in the bag for Wes. The Makuhita stood there. Its face was completely slack. Wes felt Rui grab his arm.

"Now what?" He hissed.

"That Makuhita. It's got a black cloud around it!" She whispered back. Wes heard a growl come from both of his Pokémon. Wes was surprised as he turned back to the battle.

Leveche's hackles were raised as she prowled warily around the Makuhita. Harmatten also had his neck fur raised, but he was no longer paralyzed. The Duskull pounced when the two felines were distracted. Harmatten recovered in time after a yell from Wes, chasing after the wily ghost with Bite's dark drool flying from his mouth.

"Now get 'em, Makuhita!" Trudly yelled.

The Makuhita, once still, exploded into action. Leveche couldn't get in a hit because the fighting Pokémon's fists and feet were blurs. It was all she could do to dodge. Wes felt sweat break out on his forehead with worry.

Duskull flew in front of Makuhita, hoping to get Harmatten hit. But it flew too close, and the Makuhita's fist glowed with sinister dark energy as it smacked the Ghost. Harmatten ground to a halt before he got within range. The Duskull didn't have a chance. Trudly withdrew it after he realized what had happened.

Wes was on alert. No Pokémon ever just pummeled anything that got in its way like that. They stopped first. Makuhita wasn't normal. He couldn't see what Rui was seeing, but a dark cloud wasn't a good omen either. But what could he do, anyway? Defeating it would be hard.

He thought about the Pokeball tucked in his coat pocket. It seemed to get heavier in his pocket as he thought.

"Leveche, immobilize! Harmatten, keep it distracted." Wes shouted. Leveche levitated the flailing Pokémon, but she had to stop to do so. She dodged, and Makuhita went for Wes. He managed to get away before it pummeled him. Harmatten came, using the glow of Secret Power to keep the Makuhita following him.

Wes dug the Pokeball from his pocket. He knew that doing this was a bad idea. But if he didn't, who knew how he would walk away from this fight? Trudly couldn't take him down without this weird power machine on his team. He knew what he had to do. Doesn't mean he likes it.

He pushed the switch on the Snag Machine. It hummed, red lines starting to glow. The Pokeball went into his hand, heating up slightly as codes were rewritten. Leveche's eyes glowed as she powered up a Confusion. Harmatten had kept the fighter off balance so she could do this. She caught Makuhita just as Wes threw the ball.

Trudly's jaw dropped as the Snag ball sucked in his Pokémon.

"NO! You can't do that!" Trudly shouted. Folly began to crack his knuckles, but a growl from Harmatten made them keep their distance.

The ball wiggled.

And wiggled.

Wes felt the air grow thick with tension.

CLICK!

The ball stopped rocking. Leveche immediately picked it up and gave it to Wes. Harmatten bounded over, his mouth encrusted with black drool.

Folly growled. "You won't get away with this! Miror B. will stomp you flat."

"I don't care." Wes said, testing the weight of the new Pokeball in his hands. "I just wanted to get out of this in one piece. You better do so, before these guys tear you apart."

Harmatten growled for good measure. The two criminals went pale and fled.

Wes turned around. He expected some reaction from Rui, a negative one more than anything. But she just stepped forward and held out her hand. He handed her the Pokeball. She ran her fingers over it, testing it for design flaws brought about by the Snag Machine. She even looked at the interface, checking its stats and overall state of wellbeing.

"Looks good." She said. Wes nodded, oddly feeling relieved that she approved.

"We better get out of here." Wes said. "Those guys are going to come back for us with that weird Miror B. man and catch us. Phenac isn't a safe place at the moment."

"But where would we go?" Rui asked. "Is there a town farther out?"

Wes shook his head as he opened the door. "Pyrite's a day's ride from here. We won't make it before nightfall."

Rui sighed and followed him out the door. They were greeted with a silent Phenac City street. No guards, no odd fellas in gold jumpsuits. Just empty streets and the smell of impending danger.

Wes and Rui headed for the east gate, watching for anything that jumped out at them. Nothing happened.

The east gate loomed in front of them before long. One of the uniformed men that had been with Miror B. stood at the gate.

Wes felt tiredness from his earlier battle. This man was going down, whether he liked it or not.

The man sent out a Quilava and a Koffing. Harmatten and Leveche hadn't been put back into their Pokeballs yet, so they trotted up in front of Wes. He envied their energy right now.

"I can't let you pass." The man said.

Wes bared his teeth in a grimace.

"Take them down."

The two Eeveelutions leapt into battle. The Koffing was taken out in one hit. But the Quilava dodged all the hits and responded with an unusual ferocity. Wes wasn't surprised when Rui tapped his shoulder.

"It's just like the Makuhita." She whispered. He nodded, holding out his hand for the balls Rui carried in her coat pocket. She handed them over.

The Quilava was throwing white-hot flames all over the street. Leveche had a nasty looking burn on her flank, and Harmatten had gotten smacked by a couple Fire Wheels. Wes kept the commands coming, helping his Pokémon save precious energy and keep them ahead of the enemy. Finally, Harmatten wore the weasel down enough for Wes to capture it.

The ball must have hit hard, because the ball wriggled once before clicking. The mystery man fled, and Wes nearly fell over from exhaustion. Rui kept him steady as they walked back to the bike. Starting the engines took little time, and soon they were off. Pyrite was too far off, but the desert stretch between the two cities would keep them hidden and safe for now.

* * *

 **So that's that. Any questions? I'm really sorry I didn't get this on here earlier. Wes has some new team members now. That will be interesting. And Rui's ability has made an official appearance.**


	6. Chapter 6: Pyrite Town

**I'm back. An new installment of Ancient Desert Winds is here! I hit a point where it is really easy to type, so instead of working on schoolwork I typed this chapter.**

 **And Now, Our Feature Presentation!**

* * *

The sun had set when Wes finally felt that they were far enough away from Phenac to be safe. Rui had nodded off in the sidecar some hours ago. Stars began to appear in the sky as he parked the bike behind a piece of rock jutting out of the desert sand.

Numerous tracks led away and to the rock, giving Wes the hope that this was a waystop that the nomad tribes used to rest and replenish their supplies. Sure enough, a small oasis was running behind the rock. It created a pool of clear water. Wes gently shook Rui's shoulder.

"Mhmm wha?" Rui mumbled. "Was having a nice dream."

"We're stopping here for the night. Come on."

Rui hauled herself out of the sidecar, yawning. Wes found the catch under the bike, and popped open a compartment that held sleeping bags, a lighter, and a couple of pots. Rui searched for the compartment that held the food.

Leveche and Harmatten were let out. The two felines kept watch as Wes set up camp. Rui tried to help, but she ended up going to the oasis and filling one pot with water. Wes had a merry fire going and a ring of small rocks around it by the time she got back.

Wes poked the fire with a metal rod he kept for tending the fire. Rui sat on her sleeping bag, intently watching the flames. Harmatten and Leveche laid by the fire, their belly fur fluffed to catch heat. The water began to boil.

"I never got to say thanks." Said Rui.

Wes shrugged. He was tired, even though he managed to stave it off until they were mostly safe. Rui hugged her knees to her chest.

"Could I ask a question?" Rui asked.

"Depends." Wes replied.

"How did you get those two?" She asked, nodding to the sleeping felines.

"Of all the questions you could ask, that was the most important one?" Wes asked, quirking his eyebrows. Rui's brow creased in agitation.

"Answer the damn question." Rui grumbled.

Wes chuckled. "They were a gift from my parents. They found them out in the desert."

"You had parents?"

Wes rolled his eyes. "Everyone has parents, Rui." He sighed.

Rui rolled her eyes too. Wes liked being this sarcastic, especially if it would irritate this girl.

"You ask a question now." Rui said.

"Where are we going?"

Rui beamed. "Agate Village. My grandparents live there, and I was wondering if I could learn some stuff while I was there."

Wes nodded. The pot was now boiling hard, so he grabbed a small bundle and opened it. Dried vegetables, meat and noodles were dumped into the pot. He scooted the pot away from the fire and put the lid on it.

"So what were your parents doing out in the desert?" Rui asked. "Surely they had a good reason?"

"We were nomads. We were part of the Farth tribe."

Rui's eyes grew round. "The ones that can tame wild Flygon?!"

"The very ones. My father found the two out in the sand and brought them to me to learn how to tame Pokémon. I managed to befriend them and then begin to train them."

"You were successful, I take it?"

Wes tapped his nose where the white stripe was tattooed. "This is what it's for. I successfully tamed two Pokémon by our customs."

Rui nodded, awed by Wes's tale.

"What about you?"

"I grew up near Olivine City." Rui answered. "My mom was from around here, though."

"Hence why your grandparents are here."

Rui nodded. "I visited them every summer. Now it might look like I'm going to stay there longer than that."

Wes frowned. "The kidnapping?"

Rui shook her head. "It seems that those Pokémon I saw aren't the only things that I can see. I can sort of tell with people, too. I think those guys kidnapped me because they need me for something, not just because I can see dark clouds around Pokémon."

"Makes sense." Said Wes, gingerly taking the lid off the pot. Metal dishes were handed out, and soon human and Pokémon were slurping away at their meals.

"What is this?" Rui asked.

"It's an old tribe trick." Wes replied. "We usually make stew this way, but I added noodles to fill our bellies full without needing lots of food."

"How do you dry these out?"

"Setting it in the sun."

"Really?!"

"No."

Rui pouted. Wes smirked as he scooped up noodles with his fork. With the last of the food eaten, they put away the dishes and curled up in the sleeping bags. Rui began to softly snore.

Wes lay awake. The new Pokeballs on his belt seemed to weigh more than they were capable of doing. He quietly snuck out of his bag and walked around the rock. It set at the bottom of a dune, and Wes jogged up the side. He forgot his coat, but the cool of night was bracing and mind-clearing.

Finally thinking he was far enough from camp, Wes took out the two Pokeballs and released the new additions with a flash of light.

Makuhita and Quilava stood rigidly at attention. Wes was immediately wary, remembering Makuhita's attempted swing at him during the fight. But both Pokémon regarded him with intense stares. It almost seemed that they were awaiting him to do something. Wes edged a little closer.

Makuhita swung its arms idly, but its feet didn't move. Its stare, while intense, was devoid of any emotion. Quilava's face was the same.

Wes felt a shiver run down his back. Without anything to distract him, he could almost feel the wrongness that came from these two. Pokémon were as expressive, even more so in some cases, than humans. Whatever was going on wasn't right.

"You two, come here." Wes said, beckoning them forward.

They immediately came over, without hesitation. They only when through the motions of walking to him in the most efficient way possible. No swagger, no variation in the way they moved. Only motions.

"Stop."

They stopped. No confusion about his orders. Something had been done to make these Pokémon obedient, vicious fighting machines. Wes recalled the rush of black energy emanating from Makuhita's fist as it hit Duskull. It was a physical attack, but had managed to hit the Ghost-type. It even knocked it out. Quilava had pulled a similar trick, except it had avoided its partner unlike Makuhita had. The ability to follow orders made Wes think that maybe these had to be ordered to not to hurt their battle partner. Trudly had lacked such an order, while the mysterious man had kept his Pokémon not very close to each other.

Wes approached the Pokémon. They didn't move, so Wes began to rub Quilava's head. He expected a pleased reaction, but the Quilava only looked confused and hesitantly arched its head into his hand. Wes called back the two and headed back to camp. He'd sleep on this odd phenomenon that was these two.

* * *

The bike droned as Wes and Rui drove through the desert. The landscape had changed from sand to red-brown rock, signaling the transition into the rim of the desert.

Pyrite Town had been built inside a canyon, a holdover from the days that the nomadic tribes held strongholds. Now it was just a smattering of buildings made out of scraps of metal and discarded pieces from construction sites all over the Orre region. It had enough prestige to warrant it having a Colosseum, but otherwise it was a dismal little town.

They arrived, and Wes wrinkled his nose at the ozone smell that seemed to hang around this place. They would hold over here for a little while, because this is where Rui said she had been kidnapped.

"Where now?" Wes asked.

Rui led him about town. He witnessed a lone police officer talk smack to the gatekeeper as they passed. People in this town were eager for battles, flashing their belts with grimy Pokeballs on them. A Chaser swaggered up to Wes, and he automatically groaned. It was Emok.

"Hey there, Wes!" She sang.

"Hi, Emok." Wes grumbled.

He could almost feel confusion come from Rui.

"Whacha doin' out here? Thought you wouldn't be in town for a while?" Emok said. She saw Rui standing near Wes, and her expression flashed to an ugly emotion.

"I would like to stay and chat, but I gotta go." Wes said, all but dragging Rui away.

Rui looked confused. "What just happened?"

"Emok happened." Wes said. "She liked to chase the Snagem guys and me whenever we were in town."

Rui's eyes brightened in understanding. "She's sweet on you!"

"Not so loud!" Wes hissed, putting his hand over Rui's mouth. He looked up and down the street.

"She might hear you!" He hissed.

Rui nodded, not before she got a mischievous gleam in her eye. They continued walking around until they came to Duel Square.

"That one." Rui whispered in his ear, pointing to a man wearing a bright red skulldana. Wes took out Harmatten's and the Quilava's Pokeballs.

"HEY!" Wes yelled. All eyes turned to him.

"I GOT SOMETHIN' FOR ALL YOU! I'M TAKING ALL CHALLENGERS IN DUEL SQUARE TODAY! IF YOU GOT THE GUTS, COME FACE ME!"

The skulldana man stepped forward.

"I'LL FIGHT YA!" The man hollered. He threw out a Psyduck and a Quagsire.

Wes threw out his Pokémon. Quilava stood at attention as Harmatten got his bearings.

"Quagsire, Shadow Rush that Umbreon!" Skulldana said. Black energy leaked from Quagsire.

"Harmatten, you get the Psyduck. Quilava, keep quagsire on its toes with Flame Wheel."

Quilava rushed Quagsire, quills of fire shooting from its back. Harmatten jumped to the Psyduck, startling a quack out of it. Wes kept an eye on Quilava.

It kept Quagsire away from Harmatten, singing the giant mud-dweller's delicate skin. It had charred places on its skin, but Quagsire was just as heartless as Quilava. It kept trying to smack the nimble weasel with hands pulsing with dark energy. It missed a couple of times, but managed to glance a few hits off Quilava's shoulders. Quilava's eyes were shining with an intensity that kept Wes uneasy.

"QUILAVA!"

Quilava gave the Quagsire space all of a sudden. It shook its head and looked back at Wes.

"Stay back, Quilava!" Wes yelled, pulling a Pokeball out of his pocket. He flicked the Snag Machine's switch.

Harmatten had just dispatched the Psyduck when a Pokeball rolled at his feet. It was vibrating, just on the edge of being busted open by the Pokémon inside. Harmatten tossed the Psyduck on top. The silence was deafening.

Wes expected the man to scream 'thief', but he scratched his head and looked at the Pokeball in his hand.

"Musta withdrew it already." He muttered. A crowd had gathered around the square.

Wes grinned. "Who's next?"

* * *

Wes had spent most of the day battling. With cursory glances at Rui, he had been able to determine how many dark clouded Pokémon there had been. He caught most of them, but he couldn't get the last one. The Slugma had been the boy's last Pokémon, and catching it would have attracted undue attention. Leveche, bless her heart, had been resting and levitated the boy's Pokeball off his belt while he hadn't been looking.

Wes got Rui and walked away from Duel Square. The sun was setting, and the horizon was a mix of yellows, pinks, and oranges. Wes yawned as they trudged through town. Rui managed to find the hotel, and she managed to find them a room before Wes crashed.

"I'm beat." Wes said, flopping onto one of the beds.

"I'm speechless." Rui said. "How did you manage to beat all those challengers?"

"Tag teaming." Wes mumbled, his face buried in a pillow.

"Why'd you keep shouting at Quilava and Makuhita? I know they are different, but they follow your orders to the letter."

Wes pulled the two Pokémon in question out. Instead of standing in one place, eager to receive orders, they shuffled about the room. Quilava sniffed the bedding of Wes's bed and growled at it.

"So?" Rui said. "They are acting silly."

"Clouded Pokémon," said Wes. "don't really seemed to express themselves in motion. They can't seem to feel anything. Their movements, when not battling, are stiff. Now those two are starting to act like normal Pokémon again."

Wes let out Leveche and Harmatten. They gave the other Pokémon a look, then crawled up on Wes's bed and curled next to him. Soon the trio was lightly snoring.

Rui shook her head. The other two gave the sleeping trio an odd look, and then looked at Rui.

"They're tired. You should rest, too." She said. The Quilava and Makuhita looked confused, then curled up on the other bed.

Rui grumbled. "Now where am I supposed to sleep? Bother."

A knock on the door drew Rui's attention away from the two sleeping piles. She opened the door to find a young boy.

"Can you come with me?" He asked, eyes shifting back and forth.

Rui felt a little suspicious. "What for?"

"I need your help."

* * *

 **Well folks, what did you think? Rui and Wes interaction, battles, and a mysterious boy standing outside the hotel room. Dun dun duuuunnnnn!**

 **I'm not sure, because I have not read every Colosseum fanfic on this site, but has anyone besides me gotten this far? If there is, can someone tell me ? I'm kinda curious now...**

 **Don't forget to tell me if I have made mistakes. See you all next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7: Trouble Town

**Hello, I have a new chapter for you people. Hope you all had a happy Christmas and looking forward to the new year!**

 **And Now, Our Feature Presentation!**

* * *

Wes wasn't happy about his nap being interrupted. Neither were the Pokémon. But after the boy explained the problem, Wes and Rui were walking to the entrance into Pyrite.

According to the boy, a man named Cail had won a Pokémon in the Colosseum challenge last week. The boy's father was in charge of the Colosseum and hadn't authorized the prizes, but someone kept providing the Pokémon anyway. Without anybody else to do something, the boy had enlisted them to help determine who was bringing in the Pokémon to the town. Cail was also reportedly the gatekeeper of the town, so they would find him at the edge of town.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Wes grumbled. "Nothing good comes out of requests like this."

"Maybe the Pokémon this Cail guy got is a clouded Pokémon. In that case, we have to investigate." Rui explained, a bounce in her step. Wes scowled.

"Why are we making this our problem? It not like we're going to be at this for much longer." Wes said.

"Because if I recall," Rui said. "It's your fault some of these Pokémon are the way they are. If you hadn't stole them in the first place, we would have parted ways by now. And you always pay for actions, no matter what."

Wes scowled harder. Even if Rui was naïve about a lot of things, she was right about that. He would have to deal with it sooner or later, and now would be a better time than possibly years down the road.

"Now where do we find Cail?" Rui asked, looking around the main street. Wes spotted a man in a mining jumpsuit with goggles perched atop his acid green hair.

"You Cail?" Wes asked, walking up to the man.

"Yeah, Ah am." The man said. He had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. "Wha' about it?"

"We were wondering about the Pokémon you got at the Colosseum." Rui piped up.

"Rui, shut up." Wes growled. He didn't need her complicating this.

Cail's eyes turned sharp. He casually hooked his thumbs into the belt of his jumpsuit, drawing Wes's eyes to the five Pokeballs there. This man didn't win that challenge by luck alone, it seemed.

"So what if I did get somethin'?" Cail said. "It ain't nun o' yer business anyway."

"We just wanna see if it's as strong as they say it is." Wes said.

Cail drew two Pokeballs off the belt. His face became a mask of anger.

"I'll show ya how strong they are!" He snarled. A Ralts and a Machop appeared. Wes sent out Quilava and Makuhita immediately, briefly noting that their posture wasn't quite as rigid as it was earlier that day.

"Get 'em!" Cail hollered. Ralts went straight for Makuhita while Machop danced around Quilava like a boxer.

"Quilava, Flame Wheel!" Wes shouted. Quilava made Machop back up with a flare of white hot flame. Makuhita, with a lack of orders, decided to try and punch Ralts into oblivion. The little Psychic abused Teleport as it zipped across the battlefield.

"Makuhita, Reversal!"

Makuhita spun and back-handed Ralts as it appeared, sending the little thing flying with a child-like cry. It managed to hit Makuhita with a Confusion as it hit it, making the Fighter take a knee to gather its energy after the super effective attack.

Quilava, after a word or two, calmed down enough to hit Machop with some of those dark energy attacks that marked clouded Pokémon. Wes began to see that those attacks seemed to be really effective against any Pokémon it was used on. But he attacker took some recoil, so he kept Quilava from using it too often. It kept using its fire quills to attack Machop. Suddenly Wes had an idea.

"Switch!" He yelled. Quilava, about to attack, rolled and caught Ralts on the fire quills. It shrieked in pain and fainted. Makuhita whirled and caught Machop's barrage of punches on its forearms. It held its own as Cail sent out a Snubbull.

Wes hadn't encountered very many Fairy-types before. He had seen some from a distance, and they frankly made him nervous. They were good against mostly common kinds of Pokémon, except for Steel and Poison types. He had none of those in his party, and it had an advantage over Harmatten of all things. He kept Quilava on Snubbull to keep it away from Makuhita.

Makuhita wrestled Machop, the two Fighting-types trying to gain the upper hand. Machop got a hand free and sucker punched Makuhita in the gut.

"Makuhita, roll!" Wes shouted. Makuhita rolled out of the way, the ground cracking where its head had just been. Makuhita got near the Machop and smacked it with a Reversal uppercut. Machop fell and didn't get back up.

"Snubbull, Draining Kiss!" Cail shouted. Snubbull lunged.

"Quilava, dodge it!" Wes commanded. Quilava moved, but the Fairy continued and sank its jaws in Makuhita. Makuhita fell, exhausted by its earlier fight and the surprise attack.

Wes called back Makuhita and sent out Leveche. Quilava had to be calmed down again after Makuhita's defeat. Leveche went after the Fairy, but was blindsided by a white-and-tan flash.

"Leveche, get back!" Wes shouted. Leveche shook out her fur and stood in front of Wes. The flash turned out to be a Furret. Wes felt Leveche's interest pique when she caught sight if it.

"It one of them!" Rui shouted.

Wes grumbled. Leave it to fate to make a prey Pokémon a clouded Pokémon, especially one that Leveche had a penchant for. He pulled another Pokéball out of his pocket, the Snag Machine humming as he switched it on. He would only have one chance for this.

Leveche kept after the Furret, keeping it on its toes. Quilava dealt with the last of Cail's Pokémon, a tiny Seedot. It fainted after one Flame Wheel. Furret still scurried away from Leveche, its nimble body twisting and turning rapidly. Every now and then it gave of a dark energy attack, but Leveche was nimble enough herself to keep from getting hurt. Wes Finally saw an opportunity when the Furret scurried too close.

He threw the supercharged Pokeball, It glowed as it captured the Furret and bounced off the ground into Wes's hand. The momentum from his throw had returned it to his hand.

Cail himself lunged at Wes, having seen the blatant capture of his prize Pokémon. Wes stepped to one side and tripped the man. He went sprawling in the dirt. Wes placed his foot on Cail's back.

"Let me up!" Cail snarled.

"Move, and I break your back." Wes said, his voice eerily quiet and carrying.

"Ya wouldn't dare." Cail growled.

Wes began to put pressure on Cail's lower back. Wes could feel his spine creak through his boot.

"AWRIGHT, AWRIGHT!" Cail screamed. "I'll talk."

Wes removed his foot, and hauled the man to his feet.

"Now," began Wes, "Where did you get the Furret?"

"I won the Colosseum challenge. There was some guys in uniforms that took me to the building across the ravine. They gave me Furret, and that's all that happened, I swear!" Cail's voice had started to climb with fear. Wes wondered if Rui was just as scared and began to hope she wasn't.

"Anything else connected to that building?" Wes questioned.

"T-There was two guys in there that later got arrested by Sherles, the police chief." Cail stuttered. "They were working for the weird disco guy that holes up in there. They're in the jail if you want to see them."

"Good to know." Wes said, releasing Cail. Cail stumbled away.

Rui approached. Wes felt a pang of guilt when she gave him a look-over, her face unreadable. She apparently didn't find anything wrong, because she came closer and plucked the new addition to the team from his fingers. She inspected the Pokéballs, then gave it back.

"What are you even looking for?" Wes asked. She had done that with all the Pokémon they had caught earlier.

Rui shrugged. Wes rolled his eyes in exasperation and began to walk down the street.

* * *

The boy had thanked them after Wes gave him the rundown on what Cail said. Rui was surprised when Wes began to follow the boy after he left their hotel room. They ended up following him to a brightly colored flat.

"We shouldn't just go in there!" Rui whispered hastily.

"We should know what the little bastard is planning." Wes whispered back. He had been torqued that the kid didn't tell them what they needed that information for.

"But their dad is in charge of the Colosseum! Maybe he sent them to find out."

"I doubt that."

They knocked on the door to the flat. A big brute of a man opened the door.

"What do you want?" The man growled. "It's too late for you to be here."

"Some kid came in here." Wes said. "I want to know why he asked for our help and how important that information is."

The man groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers.

"Sadly, this is a kinda common occurrence in our household." The man said. "My little ones are convinced they're gonna stop all the crime in this city. My fault for telling them to keep their ears open, I guess."

"Sir, its ok." Rui said. "We just want to know what the info's for. Maybe we can help."

 _There goes the bleeding heart thing again._ Wes mentally sighed.

The man rubbed his jaw. "I don't know how exactly you can help, but I can't let you in."

"Fine." Wes sighed. "We'll just come back in the morning."

The duo walked back in the direction of the hotel. Rui gave Wes a questioning look.

"What are you going to do?" She asked warily.

"Teach the little buggers a lesson." Wes growled. Rui's brow creased in worry.

* * *

Wes woke to the bright Orre sun shining in his face. He had fallen asleep in the chair he sat in to take his boots off. Rui was similarly sprawled on one of the beds. The other bed had been commandeered by Wes's team. They all had gotten pretty chummy after yesterday's battles. Wes wondered if maybe Quilava and Makuhita were less clouded than they were. They certainly weren't as emotionless as they were that night in the desert.

Wes pulled his boots back on and roused his team. The other Pokémon they captured yesterday had been put in Rui's bag, with Wes not trusting anyone around this place to keep their mitts off his bike. The group of Pokémon yawned and ate some of the food that Wes gave them. By this time Rui was up. She stretched and gave Wes a questioning look.

"You weren't serious, were you?" She asked.

"Yes, I was." Wes answered.

Sighing in defeat, Rui got up and gathered her stuff. Soon the duo was out the door.

They managed to find the flat that they followed the boy to last night. The man from before was there too, sitting at a giant desk as they walked in.

"So you weren't kidding." The man said.

Wes shook his head. The man sighed and pointed to the slightly ajar door that had been hidden from view by bookcase. Wes found the kids in the back and soon there were mumbled apologies and Wes stomped back out.

"Anything useful?" Rui asked.

"They needed that info to give to some other brats. Not that it concerns us too much." Wes said, his goldish eyes still sparking with irritation. A young man's entrance into the office cut off further talk.

It was obvious that the guy was pissed off. He slammed his fist on the desk.

"Duking, you gotta do somethin'!"

Duking took a deep breath. "Now what, Silva?"

Wes and Rui observed the Silva's temple grow a pulsing vein.

"You're gonna just let those goons take over your Colosseum?! How could you?!" Silva shouted.

"I can't do much." Duking said. "I've got the little ones to think about, too. One wrong move and they could be payin' for my slip-up."

"SO?! You could make their future brighter if you stand up to those bullies!" Silva shouted. "Couldn't you at least try?"  
Duking shook his head. Wes noticed the kids peek out from behind the curtain that separated their room from the office. They looked apologetic and angry that someone would be shouting at their father.

Silva ground his teeth together and marched out the door. Duking pinched his nose with his fingers and heaved a world-weary sigh.

"What's his deal?" Wes asked Duking.

"He wants Orre to change for the better. Not that that's a bad thing, but now is not the time." Duking sighed. "I wouldn't mind either, but a man can't go changin' things around here and expect to live until his kids grow up."

Wes nodded. "Know what you mean, about wanting things to get better."

"I can't do somethin' with the Colosseum, 'cause those goons handin' out the weird Pokémon don't do it in the Colosseum. They wait 'til they get out and offer. And the chumps always swallow the bait."

Wes suddenly remembered Cail's words. The uniformed men handed out the Pokémon after the challenge was won, but not inside the Colosseum? Someone knew how the rules were played in the town. Duking apparently couldn't do anything if it didn't happen in the Colosseum, so his hands were tied. Who was this devious? And why the odd Pokémon only Rui could happen to see?

"Wes?"

Wes was brought out of his thoughts. Rui and Duking were giving him odd looks.

"You spaced out there, son." Duking said.

Wes was about to answer, but the lights went out. The kids in the next room squealed and hollered.

"What in the name of Moltres just happened?" Duking growled. Rui ran out into the street.

"Every light in the place just went off!" A voice yelled, the blazing morning sun shining bright enough to not need lights.

"The windmill's not working anymore!" Another person yelled. Duking and Wes had joined Rui by this point.

Duking took off at a sprint, Wes and Rui trailing behind. The big Colosseum boss opened the door to the windmill. Two men laid on the floor, groaning. They had the jumpsuits and the grease stained fingers of workers.

"What happened?" Duking growled.

"Some kid just came in here and took some of the gears that run the windmill!"

* * *

 **Oh noes! Someone stole the gear to the windmill! Whatever will our intrepid heroes do next?**

 **Thanks guys for all the positive support and reviews of this story! It warms my heart to see those when I check on this story.**

 **In second thoughts, how would you people react if Pokemon Trainer Red was a girl? Surprised? Angry? Perplexed to why I would ask this question? Well, the machination of my mind are an enigma. Even to me...**


	8. Chapter 8: Stolen Gears

**Hey guys, I'm back! I am terribly sorry for the long wait, because the last few weeks have been a wild, woolly mess. Enjoy this chapter, because it is the longest one yet.**

 **And Now, Our Feature Presentation!**

* * *

"Stolen?" Wes asked. He helped the other worker up to his feet.

The worker who spoke coughed and gingerly sat up with Duking's help.

"Yep. I think Silva came in here and hit us over the noggins and took off with one of the gears that keeps Pyrite provided with electricity." He said. "Even the Colosseum shut down."

Duking growled something that sounded like an "of course" under his breath. Wes put two and two together. The Colosseum wouldn't hold matches if there was no power, and the uniformed men couldn't interfere with Colosseum business if no one was winning challenges. Silva probably thought that he was doing Duking and Pyrite a favor.

"Without electricity," said the worker, "we can't draw water out of the river at the bottom of the canyon for both us and the Under. We'll die of thirst if somethin' isn't done."

Rui gave Wes one of those looks. Wes sighed and they ran out of the windmill and out to Wes's bike. Cail regarded them warily as they came running.

"Whatcha stinkers doin'?" Cail shouted.

"Did you see a guy run by here earlier?" Rui asked.

"Yeah, he was carryin' a gear of some sort." Cail answered. "Said he needed to scrap it in the construction site out between Phenac and us."

"Alright, thanks!" Rui shouted over her shoulder as the bike revved and they headed out into the desert again.

The drive to the construction site was difficult. This time of year saw the frequent arrival of winds from the northwest, whipping up large sandstorms in Orre's desert. An almost continuous one kept early explorers, and ultimately most people, out of the very center of the desert. No one knew what was out there except the nomads, and they weren't telling anybody.

It was four hours later when the duo got out of the small sandstorm and spotted the gleaming tower that was the construction site. It looked almost finished.

"That's a pretty tower." Rui said, shading her eyes from the sun.

Wes parked and got out. The main entrance to the tower was a pit of junk and scrap metal. Wes examined the whole affair, straining his eyes to see where Silva had put the gear. It wasn't going to be easy to find in this mess.

"Where do we start?" Rui asked, shaking loose sand out of her hair.

"I'll take the left, you take the right." Wes said, shaking his own head to dislodge the sand in his hair.

They worked through the large piles of junk with methodical efficiency. Rui called out when she found a gear, but it turned out to be a sun gear to a vehicle from long ago. Wes looked the mechanical devices in the piles over with an appreciative eye. He found several tools for his bike that he didn't already have and pocketed them. He also found a beat-up radio that still worked and a crate containing what looked like gears from an old steam locomotive. He whistled upon the sight of the giant gears that powered the once-mighty Orre railroad steam trains. The tracks could still be found if the wind blew off the sand. Wes shook his head and kept digging through the junk of the construction site.

Some of the workers Rui encountered told her that they hadn't seen Silva deposit anything in here. She sighed and kept searching. That gear had to be here, unless Silva thought to drop it in the middle of the desert. If he did that, he most certainly doomed Pyrite to die.

Wes found a pile of gears. They ranged from looking like they were solid rust to shiny new metal. He began to dig around; paying close attention to if the gears had any sort of identifying marks. He found one that was greasy and brown, like the sand had stuck to the grease. He found a marking on the rim, and smiled when it said _Pyrite Power Company._

"Hey, Rui! Think I found it!" Wes yelled. Rui came over, her arms covered in rust and sticky patches of grease.

"Thank Raikou you did!" Rui said, her voice rough like she needed some water. "I was beginning to think Silva dropped it in the desert."

"He wouldn't go that far." Wes said, shaking his head. "He needed to stop the Colosseum challenge, not wipe out Pyrite."

The dusty duo headed out of that junkyard, one happy and one troubled.

* * *

"She fits like a glove, you two." Said the mechanic as he and his friend fitted the gear back into its proper place.

Wes grinned. He still had a good amount of grease on his gloves, and he supposed he had it all over him. But he didn't care. He had just acquired some new tools and could use them.

"Well, Colosseum challenges can open back up, Duking." The mechanic said to Duking.

"Good. We'll see what we can do with Silva later." Duking said. "But I can think of an opportunity that would maybe help all of us."

Wes and Rui were heading out the door when Duking put his massive mitts on Wes's shoulder. Wes nearly jumped out of his skin because he was sure now that the Colosseum Boss could crush his head with one hand. Or his shoulder.

"Could ya folks wait a minute?" Duking asked. "I got somethin' I'd like ya to do."

Wes groaned silently. He was a busy man, after all, and he needed to find the direction of Rui's destination. Then he needed to get the hell out of here.

"What do you need?" Rui asked. Wes almost saw her hair perk up, and suppressed a guffaw.

"I was thinkin'," said Duking. "You got strong Pokémon, and somewhat'a a vendetta against these Cipher folks. Maybe you can take the Colosseum challenge and see if you can find where those uniformed people keeps those weird Pokémon. Maybe Silva was right after all."

"Why not do it yourself?" Wes growled. "This has nothing to do with me."

Rui scowled. "Wes…"

"I can't, by the rules of the Colosseum. But you can, and are way better than me at battlin'." Duking said, his eyes gleaming with a calculating gleam. "And you get a money prize, too."

Wes froze. His funds were low, especially after buying all of those Pokéballs at the Outskirt Stand three days ago. Rui had only a little money left, making any supply purchases in the immediate future precarious.

"Well…"

* * *

"How do you people talk me into this kind of thing?" Wes grumbled, checking his belt.

Rui grinned as she went through Wes's coat pockets, taking out any Pokeballs she found. After Team Snagem showed up, it became a rule to ban competitors from carrying empty Pokéballs. They were below the arena in a room for battlers, complete with a healing machine and a bench. Wes had been in here before.

"Because Duking is a manipulative bastard." Rui said with a wink. For once she got to needle Wes, and it was _fun._

"Would Wes and Hoks come up to the arena." The intercom blared, popping noises coming from the speakers.

Wes sighed. "Time to go."

"Good luck!" Rui said, handing Wes his blue coat. He gave her a wan smile and headed up the ramp into the arena.

The crowds were cheering, ready for a new fight. A man in brown leathers walked to the spot opposite of Wes.

"Battlers, send yer Pokémon out!"

Wes released Quilava and his newest addition, Flaaffy. The sheep-like Pokémon sat on its haunches and sniffed the air. Its expression was dead like the other odd Pokémon Wes had captured. He thought for a moment he heard someone in the audience begin to shout, and hoped it wasn't the guy who won the Flaaffy in a Colosseum challenge.

The other guy released a timid looking Sandshrew and slithery Barboach. The mud fish normally would be used in water-heavy battles, except they were capable of breathing in air as well as water. It was leaving a trail of slime as it slithered nervously.

Quilava crouched, a gleam in its eye. Flaaffy mirrored the move, tipping forward slightly.

"FIGHT!"

"Go." Wes whispered.

Quilava exploded, turning into a fiery streak as it pounced on Barboach. Flaaffy briefly cloaked itself in black energy and rammed its head into Sandshrew's middle. Sandshrew was down with a cry of pain.

"Sandshrew, no!" The man yelled.

Wes was keeping an eye on Quilava. After all the battling from two days ago, Quilava had seemed to regain a good portion of its original personality. But it was prone to going into fits of fighting frenzy, in which he needed to shout to get the Pokémon back to its senses. Flaaffy was nearing that same point, its delicate nostrils flaring.

"QUILAVA, FLAAFFY!" Wes yelled. "Concentrate!"

"Barboach, use Mud-Slap!" The man shouted desperately.

Quilava had been tormenting the poor Barboach by scorching the ground near it to make it slither back and forth. With a look of regret, Quilava slammed the Barboach into the ground and knocked it out. The crowd was silent.

"… Er, Wes is the WINNER!"

The crowds were silent as Wes began to walk back down to the room under the arena. He could feel every pair of eyes on him, and felt the sudden urge to cover all vulnerable spots as well as he could. Then they erupted into cheers as he crossed under the door frame of the Colosseum ramp.

* * *

Wes was sitting on the bench in the room with a decreasing amount of people. Rui was allowed to stay as moral support. The air within the underground chamber was bordering on cold, and she unclasped one of her Pokéballs from her belt.

"What are you doing?" Wes asked, giving the Pokéball in her hand an odd look. She hadn't let out the creatures inside yet, which made him wary of what they were.

"It's finally cold enough for Frostbite to come out. She said, tapping the button.

A Swinub materialized in Rui's lap. It snuffled around, and made a pleasant snorting noise when she ran her fingers through its wiry fur. Wes's eyes widened in surprise, because Swinub were rare in the desert region.

"What's the other one?" Wes asked, reaching out to touch Frostbite. The Swinub gave him a cool look and snorted a cloud of frozen air on his hand.

"A Pidgeotto. I thought that maybe it wasn't a good idea to let it out with Harmatten and Leveche." Rui said. "The look they gave that Furret was just another good reason why."

The speakers announced the end of the first round matches and called the next challengers up. Wes sighed as he heard his name.

 _Great, and I was just thinking about how easy the last match was._

His next opponent was a Chaser. She gave him a wink across the battlefield and sent out a Natu and a Meditite. Wes sent out Makuhita and Quagsire, the latter startled by the loud noise of the Colosseum. No odd lapse of noise marked Quagsire's entry, giving Wes a feeling of relief. He couldn't afford being singled out, not yet.

The Chaser snapped her fingers. Wes only had moments to react as Meditite and Natu launched themselves at his Pokémon. With a word, Quagsire brought up its tail in front of Makuhita. The Natu flew right into the tail and bounced off like a ping pong ball. Makuhita ran from under its protective barrier and engaged the Meditite in a dazzling display of martial arts. Fist met feet as Makuhita drew Meditite away from Quagsire.

"Quagsire, Mud Shot on Natu." Wes commanded.

"Flit, get away!" The Chaser cried.

Quagsire spat mud. While an attack like that wouldn't do much damage to a Flying-type, it still had the desired effect of grounding the little bird. Wes gestured at the same moment the Chaser did, but Natu wasn't fast enough to dodge Quagsire's tail.

"Ooooohhh…." The crowd groaned. The poor little Natu spun in place and fainted. The disgruntled Chaser withdrew the bird. Meanwhile, Wes turned his attention to the other fighters.

Makuhita and the Meditite were evenly matched, trading blow for blow. Every now and then Meditite threw in a Confusion-powered kick or punch, but Makuhita kept dodging. Their dance was interrupted by a Quagsire attempting to belly-flop on the both of them.

"Quagsire, knock it off! Makuhita, use Reversal!" Wes yelled.

The little fighter's fist glowed briefly as it gathered up its energy, letting Meditite land a glancing blow to its stomach.

"Meditite, keep it up!" The Chaser cried. Wes smirked at her inattention.

Makuhita finally had all the power it needed, and let loose with a brilliant whirl of fists. Meditite managed to keep the assault from knocking it out, but it couldn't block everything. It leapt away, bruises littering its blue and white body. Makuhita fared no better.

"Now Quagsire!" Wes shouted.

Meditite didn't see the pale blue tail coming crashing down. The crowd cheered, and Wes withdrew his Pokémon. The Chaser looked downright murderous, and she spun on her heels and stomped out. Wes walked back down into the waiting room below. Rui had fallen asleep, her Swinub and a Pidgeotto nestled in her side. Wes smiled and shook his head, heading to the healing machine in the back.

* * *

The next challenge was a piece of cake. This guy had three Pokémon with him, and was better at battling than the last two. He went down after almost ten minutes. Wes had been tempted to use Leveche and Harmatten, but with how rare Eeveelutions were around here, it was a bad idea. He didn't want to attract any unwanted attention.

He was waiting down in the room when the last semi-final match was done. Only sixteen people were allowed to register for one tournament, and only two tournaments were held in a day. He was wondering who he was going up against next.

Rui had woken up only a little while ago, and her Pokémon were giving Wes the coldest looks. Rui had explained to them that Wes didn't kidnap them, but they still had their doubts.

The speaker crackled again. "Wes will be facing Mirez in five minutes. Trainers, prepare yourselves."

Rui gave Wes a friendly clap on the shoulder. "Good luck." She said, walking up the stairs that lead to the box Duking sat in as Colosseum Boss.

 _Good luck, she said._ Wes thought. _Mirez will go down easy._

The crowd roared as he came up from under the arena. He must have become a favorite. But the crowd went quiet afterwards, Wes saw the woman he would be facing.

Mirez was _huge._ Not fat huge, muscle huge. She easily was taller than him, and Wes wasn't all that short. She clearly more muscular than most Machokes were, never the less most men. She wore the purple and blue shorts and shirt of a gym junkie. Wes kept his face neutral as the overwhelming urge to crawl under a rock and hide ran through him. He couldn't forfeit now, not when he was so close to the end of this challenge. He looked up at Duking's box. Rui wasn't looking at him, but watching his opponent in horror. Duking saw Wes looking at him, and shrugged. No one would give him grief for losing to this woman.

Ru looked at Wes, a pleading look in her eyes. Wes smirked and winked up at her. He turned away before he saw her reaction.

"Send out your Pokémon!" The announcer said.

Wes sent out Quilava and Makuhita. Mirez sent out a Bagon and a Psyduck, which made Wes's stomach curl even more. Psyduck were fine, but Bagon were a native thing to Orre and were damned tough things. Wes had seen some men while he was a child try taming one of things, and some of them had gone back to their wives with cracked skulls. This one had to be somewhere around seven years old, and very well-trained.

"FIGHT!" The announcer yelled.

Wes pulled a trick like the Chaser he fought earlier. He had briefly explained what to do when he snapped his fingers to Quilava and Flaaffy. They launched themselves at the other two. The Bagon lowered its head threateningly. The Psyduck's eyes glowed blue with psychic energy.

"Psyduck, use Confusion!" growled Mirez. "Bagon, use Headbutt!"

Right as Mirez spoke, Wes's Pokémon switched targets. Instead of going for Psyduck, Flaaffy was now going for Bagon. Quilava was glowing with fire quills as it briefly rolled to get a better vantage point at Psyduck. Bagon and Flaaffy collided with a sharp _crack!_ , their heads meeting. Wes could some people in the audience cringe. Quilava was keeping Psyduck at range, firing off red-hot flames. The duck wasn't getting quite as singed as Wes hoped, its Water-typing giving it an advantage.

"Quilava, Fury Swipes!" Wes yelled over the din of battle.

Quilava pounced, its claws springing from its paws. Psyduck quacked in alarm as it tried to dodge some the deadly claws. It soon had scratches to add to its list of injuries. It finally got Quilava off of it with a well-placed Water Gun. Quilava jumped away in a cloud of steam.

Wes cursed. Quilava shook off super-heated water, but Wes could see chill spots from here. The spots were places in a Fire-type that refused to heat after being doused in water. If enough chill spots were made on Quilava, Quilava would faint. Wes gave the order to switch.

Psyduck fainted after an electric discharge from Flaaffy caught it by surprise. Quilava circled Bagon warily, baring its teeth in a growl. Bagon kept its attention on Flaaffy, wondering how a Flaaffy of all things could be able to hold its own against it. Quilava and Bagon pounced at the same time, becoming a flurry of blue, red, and black.

Mirez sent out another Pokémon, a Delibird. Flaaffy gave the carrier bird a shock before it squawked and took to the air, sending bits of ice and wing generated wind at Flaaffy. Flaaffy, with a command from Wes, hit a rock on the stadium floor with an electrical charge. The Delibird squawked again as it soon was dealing with flying rock and bolts of electricity trying to hit it out of the air. Wes turned his attention to Quilava's fight.

The fire weasel was not doing too well against the tiny Dragon. It charred Bagon plenty of times, but Bagon was slowly gaining the upper hand. Wes saw that flicker in Quilava's eye that promised trouble. It's emotions were kicking into overdrive as it shoved the tiny Dragon off of it.

"Quilava, be careful!" Wes called out. "Use Flame Wheel!"

Quilava's eyes regained their normal look, except there was now a twinkle of joy in the weasel's eyes. It rolled itself into a ball and crashed in to the Dragon, bowling it over. The Dragon stood back up with wobble, and Quilava collapsed.

Wes withdrew Quilava, knowing it had expended itself. He grabbed Makuhita's ball and released it. It gave an experimental stomp before it saw Bagon.

"Go for it, Makuhita." Wes said. Makuhita ran for the Bagon when Wes saw Delibird drop, its body sparking and bruised. Flaaffy, in a rare show of emotion, curled its mouth in what looked like a smile and wagged its tail. Wes smirked and pointed at Bagon, a silent invitation to go help.

Mirez sent her last Pokémon, a Magnamite. It sparked and levitated itself over to help Bagon, but Makuhita disengaged after Flaaffy gave Bagon another skull-cracking Headbutt. Magnamite soon was darting away to avoid Makuhita's flying fists. Wes knew the fight had to be winding down, if the crowd was being this loud. One hit from Makuhita was all it would take to bring down that tiny metal ball.

Flaaffy cried out, and Wes whirled to see that Bagon knew that it was beat and had bit down on Flaaffy's tail. Its teeth was starting to draw blood.

"Flaaffy, Thunderbolt." Wes snarled, pissed that Mirez would teach her Pokémon such a dirty trick. Bagon fainted after one shock. Magnamite dropped as well, finally being caught between Makuhita's palms.

"WES IS THE WINNER!" The announcer roared. Wes withdrew his Pokémon and ran for the healing machine, worried that Bagon had done lasting damage. He didn't even try to see if Mirez was going to attempt to beat him up.

He pressed the on button of the healing machine when he was assaulted by a flying red-head.

"Oi, watch it!" Wes growled. Rui ignored him.

"Omygosh! You won, Wes!" Rui exclaimed. "You beat all of them! That was so cool!"

"So happy you liked it. Now let go of me." He snarled, peeling Rui's arms off of him as he watched the readout on the screen worriedly. The machine chirped when it came to Flaaffy's ball, stating that it would be fine. He breathed out with relief. Rui was silent as he pried the balls out of the machine.

"Well done, Wes." Duking said. "I have your prizes right here. That was a good match, by the way."

Wes accepted the prizes with a neutral expression, swallowing the bitterness that rose in his throat. Duking should have ended the match when Flaaffy got hurt, but he didn't. Wes always tried to win clean when he could, and never pulled shit like that when he was in the Colosseum challenges. They would disqualify him for that.

"Remember, keep an eye out for those shady people." Duking said. "I would be careful if I were you."

"I'll remember that." Wes said quietly, stalking out of the room. Rui followed, her expression troubled.

"Is Flaaffy going to be okay?" Rui asked once they were out of the Colosseum.

"Yeah, she'll be okay." Wes said, staring at the Pokéball in his hand. Flaaffy rested inside. "She's just tired. Tired but okay."

Rui smiled, and the duo sat on a bench. Soon they would find out what was really going on in this old town.

* * *

 **A/N: So again, I apologize for the long wait. I lost one of my friends earlier this month, and was busy trying to comfort his girlfriend (another good friend of mine). And studying for finals. Which didn't happen because school got canceled. But I digress.**

 **Remember, please tell me if something needs fixed in these chapters.**

 **Does anyone have a good idea about which accents would be appropriate for certain regions? I can only think of Orre (Western), Unova (New York/Northeast), and Hoenn (slightly like Canadians, without the "eh"s). Any ideas?**


	9. Chapter 9: Fool's Gold

**I'm back, you people. Here's another chapter, and I hope you enjoy it**

 **And Now, Our Feature Presentation!**

* * *

Rui saw a man walk out of the Colosseum. He had a trench coat covering most of his body, but the boots she saw were uniform boots.

 _That's not suspicious at all_. Rui sarcastically thought. The man looked around, then walked over to their bench.

"You put up a good fight." The man said to Wes. "And you won against that beast of a woman."

Wes put his hands behind his head and stretched out his legs. "Yeah, what of it?"

"I got an offer for you. Well worth your time."

Rui didn't know much about shady dealings, but she thought that Wes was doing a god job of seeming like he wasn't interested. He lazily blinked his eyes and fixed his gaze upon the man.

"I'm listening."

The man beckoned to the duo, and they got up off their bench and followed him. They went across the bridge and to the ramshackle building not far from there. The door opened and the man motioned for them to come in.

The inside wasn't much better than the outside. Piles of broken tiles and building material sat in disorganized fashion. Rebar and chunks of the wall stuck out with alarming regularity. Wes could almost smell the insulation through the holes in the wall. The man reached over a counter and came back with a polished Pokéball in his hand.

"For winning the Colosseum challenge, I'm going to give you a really powerful Pokémon." The man said. "I think you deserve it, pal."

Wes was reaching for the offered Pokeball when a uniformed woman walked out of the back room. She was wearing a purple and pink version of a Cipher trooper's regular uniform.

"Hey there, Lindy." The man said, winking at the woman. "These guys just won the Colosseum challenge. Nifty, huh."

The woman stared at Wes. Wes got the creeping suspicion that she was giving him a once over.

"These two look like the descriptions from Trudly and Folly about those two people that beat them in Phenac a couple of days ago, Nore." The woman said. "Said that he looked like one of Team Snagem's ilk. And Boss said he's been giving us a lot of trouble."

 _Shit snacks._ Wes thought. Nore's eyes widened, then he whipped out the Pokeballs on his belt and released a Yanma and a Surskit. Wes had Harmatten and Leveche out in a flash.

"Be careful of the Yanma!" Rui yelled as she leapt out of the way of the battle.

Wes flicked on the Snag Machine in preparation for what he hoped was a hint from Rui. Nore's Surskit went after Leveche while Yanma buzzed straight for Harmatten.

"Harmatten, go easy with Fury Swipes!" Wes commanded. "Leveche, use Return!"

Harmatten met Yanma in the air, batting it around with glowing claws. Wes kept an eye on them because he needed to Snag that Yanma. Leveche had smacked Surskit down with Return, and the water skater didn't get back up. Nore cursed and threw out a Nincada, which immediately got squished by Harmatten getting thrown by a Sonicboom attack. Wes smiled, laughing at how easy this guy was going down. Nore sent out his final Pokémon, a Pineco.

"You bastard!" growled Nore. "Stay still!"

"Not going to happen." Wes shot back, pulling a Great Ball from his pocket and throwing it with unerring accuracy. Yanma was sucked in with a flash of light.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Nore yelled. "That's not supposed to happen!"

Yanma broke free of the Great Ball with in two wiggles, but Wes threw another one just as Yanma broke out. The Pokeball shook once and clicked. Nore leapt to get the ball, and got a smack across the shins from Harmatten's claws. Wes walked over and picked it up, careful to put it in a pocket that wouldn't have a chance of ripping. Nore and the woman fled through the door to the back rooms of the building. Wes heard thumping noises go up and then veer away from hearing. So there were multiple safe levels in the building for them to go through.

Rui heard the outside door open, and reached for the Pokeballs in her pockets, but instead of Cipher workers she was greeted by Duking and his kids.

"So this is where they set up shop." Duking said, anger making the creases on his face deeper.

Wes nodded. "They were about to hand us a Pokémon, but a woman recognized us. Sorry we didn't get information."

"No Wes, you got us all we needed." Duking said. "Now we know where these people have been hiding this whole time."

"Dad? What about them?" One of Duking's daughters asked, the shortest. "No one has seen Silva, or-"

"Or who?" Rui asked.

The daughter looked down at the floor, shutting her mouth. Wes couldn't stop Rui before she knelt in front of the girl.

"Is there someone you're missing?" Rui asked, her voice calm and quiet.

Duking sighed. "I had hoped to not get you guys involved any more than you have to, but never mind. Those goons stole my late wife's Pokémon that we have been taking care of, a Plusle. We haven't been able to find it for the last two weeks. My youngest is upset because it disappeared on her watch, and that Plusle is all we have left of my wife."

"Oh," Rui whispered. "I didn't know."

"We'll keep an eye out for it." Wes said. "After this, we're even."

"Wes?" Rui asked. Wes shrugged and began to walk around the next corner of the room. Rui shook her head and raced after Wes, waving to the man and his daughters.

"Did you really-"

"Rui, shut up."

* * *

Harmatten huffed as the group halted inside the hallway of the fourth floor of the building. No scraping or heavy thuds could be heard. Wes poked his head around the corner, and nearly got his nose taken off by a poison quill.

"Last guy?" Rui asked.

"Better be." Wes grumbled. He leapt for the opposite wall, Quilava and Harmatten leaping out and catching the Qwilfish the guard in the hall had out. Wes tried not thinking about how a fish could be floating in the air like that, but he did notice the purple poison that oozed from the tips of its quills. It shot them off at random times, and Rui yelled to let him know that it was a clouded Pokémon. Wes sighed and threw another Pokéball, and the capture wiggled in the ball before giving up. Wes quickly rant to pick it up, and didn't notice the guard run to him brandishing a knife.

"Wes!" Rui shouted.

Wes noticed it before the guard attempted to disembowel him. The knife flashed before the guard took another swing, but Wes was ready this time. He punched the guard where his shoulder met his chest, and the guard gasped and reflexively let go of the knife. A rock flew out of nowhere and caught the guard in the chest, making the air leave his body with a puff of air. Wes punched the guard in the face for good measure.

"That was close." Wes huffed, massaging his hand.

"You could have died!" Rui spat. Wes regarded her, puzzled but such a vehement outburst.

"But I didn't die." Wes said, shrugging. "So who cares?"

They passed through the rest of the building, squeezing between debris and piles of junk. Wes knew he'd have to repair his coat after this. He felt a touch sorry for Rui wearing nothing to protect her legs.

Finally, they found a staircase that lead outside. They were now at the very top of the building, with the dry desert wind blowing sand and bits of stuff around. Another smaller building was off to their left. A mighty crash came from within, and the duo nodded at each other and opened the door.

The man from Duking's office, Silva, was on the floor. He had a nicely purpling bruise on his cheek and a dazed look in his eyes. Two women stood over him.

"You're playing with the heavy hitters now." One woman cooed. "You shouldn't try and play the hero."

"Fuck you." Silva spat. The other woman slapped him hard, her glove muting the sound. Silva's head whipped back.

Wes immediately reached for Quilava's and Flaaffy's Pokéballs. The women didn't notice the duo in the doorway, their attention intent on Silva.

"You damned Cipher people anyways." Silva continued. "You just waltz in here and do whatever you like, and don't think anyone will do somethin'?"

A crack sounded out when the woman punched Silva. Wes whistled loud and sharp, and the two women whirled around. Disbelief and rage twisted their faces into awful sights.

"Well, well." The interrogator said. "We have some more heroes wanderin' around."

The other woman grinned and unclipped the Pokéballs from her belt. The interrogator mirrored her compatriot's stance, gripping the Pokéballs in her possession. She let out a Mantine, which glided down to the ground, and a Yanma darted in the air, its bug eyes intent on Wes.

Rui let out her Pokémon. Swinub sniffed the air, releasing ice crystals into the air. Pidgeotto flapped its wings, immediately zeroing in on the Mantine. Wes let out Flaaffy and Quilava. The other woman let out a Remoraid and a Spinarak. Silva scooted himself against the wall, not wishing to be caught between the fight.

"GO!" Yelled the interrogator. Mantine dived for Pidgeotto, who took to the air. Swinub blew frozen chunks of snow from its nose at Yanma. Rui was calling out her commands, and Wes turned his attention back his battle.

The other woman sent her Remoraid flopping toward him, it using its tail to try and smash into Quilava. Quilava bit back with fangs of fire. Flaaffy kept Spinarak on the tips of its legs, scuttling away from Flaaffy's electric shocks. Flaaffy suddenly charged forward with a word from Wes, dark energy leaking from its body. It smacked into Spinarak, sending it into a wall. Rui's Swinub ducked as Mantine tried for another dive bomb against it, but Pidgeotto Pecked the water-type until it was distracted.

"That Mantine's a Shadow Pokémon!" Rui yelled, dodging a stray hit from the opponent's Yanma.

Wes charged a ball and threw it to Rui. "That'll catch it if you throw it within five minutes." He called. Rui nodded.

Remoraid fainted, a victorious Quilava standing over it. The woman snarled and called it back. She now only had a Luvdisc left, it floating mysteriously. Flaaffy sent a shock at it, and Quilava body slammed it with another dark energy attack. The poor Pokémon fainted. The woman cursed, then cursed again when her friend's Mantine suddenly disappeared with a flash. Rui's Swinub sat on the ball and growled at anything that came near it. Wes's Quilava waded into Rui's fight, chasing the Furret the woman had sent out in place of her Yanma. The Aipom that replaced the captured Mantine attempted to wiggle the ball from Swinub, but Swinub hunkered down.

"Quilava, get that Aipom!" Wes yelled. Quilava stopped chasing the Furret and landed a Flame Wheel on the monkey. It cackled and flipped away, singed but not knocked out. Quilava's eyes narrowed and dark energy leaked from its body as it charged. Aipom didn't stand a chance, and the monkey when flying.

The women growled and left, knowing that they were beat. Rui helped Silva up as Wes convinced the stubborn Swinub to release the ball it had under its body. Silva's nose was an angle that it shouldn't be.

"Thanks for saving by ass." Silva said, his nose plugged by blood. "I don' bknow wha' I can do to help."

"Hold still." Rui said, gripping Silva's face. She put her thumbs on either side of his nose and squished it back into place with an odd crunch sound.

"SHIT!" Silva swore, freeing his head and holding his nose gingerly. "WHY?!"

"You want to not breath properly out of your nose forever?" Rui said coldly. "Be my guest."

Wes nodded in approval. He hoped he didn't break his nose any time soon, though. Silva sheepishly apologized.

"Next time, I would refrain from trying to do what you just did." Wes said, fixing Silva with a serious look. "At least get some help before you do something stupid."

"What about you guys? Izzint this stupid?" Silva asked. Wes almost answered that question, but knew that Rui was glaring at him. Wes just shrugged and told Silva to get out of the building and go to Duking.

"Now what?" Rui asked. "I doubt that's all of them."

"I doubt it too. But where could they be, if not here?" Wes asked. "We should see if there is any more hidey holes for these guys."

Rui searched the desk in the corner. She found two gray binders, and opened them. Her eyes when wide.

"Wes, you should come look at this."

Wes looked over Rui's shoulder. Inside the binder was pages about the clouded Pokémon they kept catching. It read:

 _Shadow Pokémon are created artificially. We at the lab are looking into making permanent emotional dampeners that the Pokémon create themselves with biological processes. Tests done on Shadow Pokémon have shown that heart functions are somewhat suppressed due to the chemicals now being processed in the Pokémon's bloodstream. Without any scientific explanation to this phenomenon, we have just termed as a Pokémon having "it's heart closed"._

 _August 18_ _th_ _, 2995_

 _We just got a report from Gateon that there was a person disembarking when one of the grunts was doing a field test that noticed the Shadow Pokémon. Reports say that she made a scene. Thank Arceus the grunt in question escaped notice. This person can put a serious dent in our plans._

Wes glanced at Rui. Her lips were tightly pursed and her face was pale. He grabbed the other binder and flipped it open. He glanced again at the date. Only two weeks ago.

 _When the chemicals are overproduced, the Pokémon's body begins to override the chemicals. It sends the Pokémon into a frenzy, and research done by myself and Dr. Roko shows that the Pokémon's epinephrine and norepinephrine levels are the highest ever recorded in a lab. Needless to say, Dr. Roko and I were very pleased. This means that the Pokémon is in a state where they can deal massive amounts of damage._

 _When a Pokémon enters this state, we have dubbed it "Hyper Mode" (thank you, Dakim, for the crude yet accurate term). One can wait for the Pokémon to calm down, or one can call out to the Pokémon to calm it. Unfortunately, calling out to the Pokémon startles them into regular behavior and lessens the effect dampeners have on the Pokémon's mind. Somehow, audio interference helps the Pokémon build a resistance to the chemicals. Soon they become almost like their normal selves if called out to enough. More research is required._

Wes shuddered. To torture Pokémon like that was unthinkable. He was doubly glad that he had escaped from Team Snagem when he did. Leveche and Harmatten would have become such pained creatures. Rui was quietly sniffling. Wes put his hand on her shoulder and motioned to the door. She stuffed the binders in her bag and they headed out.

"Now, If I were a disco man," Wes said. "Where would I hide?"

"Maybe in there?" Rui answered, pointing to the cave entrance.

* * *

It took a while, but the duo had made it through the dank cave that Miror B. had set up as his base. Wes had Snagged a few more Pokémon along the way, and had a Meditite running alongside him with Flaaffy.

"What's that sound?" Rui asked, looking around.

Wes looked down the staircase they had come across. The rushing sound was coming from down there.

"Dunno, should go see." Wes answered.

The giant underground river that flowed through Orre apparently ran underneath Pyrite, because the rushing sound became extremely loud down here. Wes looked over the edge of the concrete platform he and Rui had walked onto, and couldn't see the water rushing down below.

"Yeesh, that's a deep ravine."

There was another sound coming from the general vicinity. Wes strained his ears, catching small beat noises. It was music. And it was coming from behind the set of doors in front of them. The duo opened the doors, and was greeted with a strange sight.

Miror B. was twirling and dancing in the middle of the room, a ring of Ludicolo mirroring his every move. A song straight from three decades ago boomed from the speakers in the room. Miror B. spun, then he noticed the duo standing in the doorway.

"Hold it." Miror B. said, holding up a hand. The music stopped.

"I was wondering why my two faithful girls ran in here." Miror B. said, gesturing to the two women that had beaten Silva in the corner. "Now I know who you are. Your those two from Phenac. Now I don't know what you are trying to accomplish here, but this has to stop now. Your darling hero antics are starting to make this operation stutter."

"Don't care." Wes said. "You people are just a pain in the ass. And I don't like pains in the ass."

"Is that a threat?" Miror B. cooed, his tone cold. "If you don't stop, I'll have to get serious."

Wes flicked his Pokéballs into his hands. "So will I."

Miror B. flicked his fingers at the Ludicolo arrayed around him. Two stepped up, and Wes let out Flaaffy and Meditite. The new Fighter set itself into a stance, eyes moving between both Ludicolos.

"Start the music!" Miror B. called. Disco music began to blare out of the speakers.

"Go for it." Wes whispered to his Pokémon. Flaaffy's wool sparked, and then sent out a bolt of electricity. The Ludicolos immediately danced out of the way and sprayed water out of their bills in retaliation. Meditite moved away and was after one Ludicolo, attempting to bat at it with lightning fast hands.

The Ludicolos were odd fighters. They swayed with the beat, dodging blows like they were half-drunk. Flaaffy was having difficulty damaging them because of their dual type. Wes snarled when one Ludicolo got too close to him and tried to take a chunk out of his leg. Meditite chased the Ludicolo away, and Wes snapped his fingers. Two could play that game.

Flaaffy sent a small bolt of electricity at Miror B., making the man jump back. Wes got the impression that Miror was glaring at him through those fancy sunglasses. Meditite gave the Ludicolo it was chasing a hard blow leaking dark energy, and the Ludicolo was tossed a couple of yards.

"Ludicolo, land right!" Miror B called out. Ludicolo spun in the air and landed on its feet, spitting a jet of pressurized water. Meditite cried as it was hit with the water.

"Meditite, again!" Wes spat. Meditite launched itself at the Ludicolo, its fist again leaking black-purple light. It struck the Ludicolo again, and the duck-billed Pokémon fainted. Flaaffy rammed its head into the other Ludicolo as Miror B sent out another Ludicolo. This Ludicolo hit Meditite over the head, and Meditite fainted. Wes sent out Leveche, and the psychic feline pinned her ears back at the foul mood Wes exuded. Leveche used Confusion to hit the Ludicolo, and Ludicolo spun in a dazed fashion. Flaaffy finally shocked the other Ludicolo into unconsciousness, and tackled the one that ran out onto the battle ground in place of the one it just took out.

"Flaaffy!" Wes shouted, noticing the gleam in Flaaffy's eyes. Flaaffy shook its head and again proceeded to pummel the Ludicolo into submission. Leveche ran by, a dazed Ludicolo attempting to run after her. She turned around, and smacked her head into the Ludicolo's face with Return. Both Ludicolos fell, their eyes rolling up into their heads.

Wes smirked as he watched Miror B.'s face turn a shade of red. He sent out another Pokémon, and Rui's gasp was all the verification he needed.

The Sudowoodo swung its tree-like arms idly. It looked like a tree, but that was only a deception. It was really made out of the living rock that made up all Rock-Types. Wes flicked the switch in the Snag Machine on. He would catch this little bugger, just like the last ones.

"Leveche, Flaaffy. Keep it occupied." Wes said, taking a Pokéball out of his pocket. The two battlers circled the mock tree, Leveche snapping at it a few times. Sudowoodo attempted to club her with its arms, but Flaaffy struck it in the side with a dark energy attack. Sudowoodo spun again, catching Flaaffy with one of the mock leaf balls on the ends of its arms. Flaaffy came away with a slightly crooked jaw, it beginning to mewl in pain. Leveche's eyes glowed with psychic energy, and Sudowoodo was flung several times into the walls and the floor. Wes could feel Leveche's anger that this excuse of a tree would hurt her battle partner.

 _Easy, Leveche._ Wes thought to his Pokémon. _I'll take care of Flaaffy, don't worry._

Leveche only sent a rush of gratitude back. Wes almost grinned when the flying Sudowoodo took out all the speakers in the room, causing the disco music to stop. When it landed, Wes threw the Pokéball. It absorbed Sudowoodo with a burst of light and bounced into Wes's palm. He grinned.

The Pokéball shook once, then exploded in his hand. Wes felt a shards of plastic embed themselves in his hand, and he yelled as the Sudowoodo flew back to Miror B.'s side. It collapsed as Miror B. withdrew it. Wes cradled his hand and glared at the disco man.

"You may have won this round, darling." Miror B. said, his mouth curled into a cruel smirk. "But you won't be catching the rest of the Shadow Pokémon. Not before I tell the rest of Cipher."

Wes growled, and his Pokémon mirrored the reaction. The disco fanatic paled, and then ran as fast as his long legs would carry him. Rui rushed up to Wes as he kneeled on the floor, the battles of today now just catching up to him.

"Are you going to be okay?" Rui asked.

Wes grunted as he grabbed one of the bigger shards and pulled in out. It hurt like a bitch, but he mananged to keep himself from yelling. Leveche and Flaaffy came to him, both making sounds of worry.

"I'll be okay." Wes addressed the Pokémon. Leveche sent another feeling, this time relief. Flaaffy cooed, worry filling its eyes. Wes rubbed the wool on its head with his good hand, then experimentally poked Flaaffy's dislocated jaw.

"Rui, help me with this." Wes asked, putting his hand against the jutting side of Flaaffy's jaw. Rui nodded and put her hand on the opposite side. Wes pressed in Flaaffy's jaw gently, hearing and feeling Flaaffy's jaw go back into place. Flaaffy cried out softly, but opened its mouth to test its jaw.

"Now where would Duking's Plusle be?" Rui asked, getting up. The room was empty, and Wes looked around. The booth that housed the sound system was empty, and he checked around the booth. He forgot about his injured hand, and it bumped a disk. He grumbled out a curse and picked it up with his good hand. It wasn't a music disk, but a Technical Machine. They were very useful for teaching Pokémon moves, and used software that he currently didn't have. He pocketed it anyway.

"Hey Wes, come here!" Rui shouted. Wes ran over, seeing that Rui found a door somewhat hidden in the back of the room. A small red and cream colored bundle was huddled on the ground. It was a Plusle, and it was shackled to the ground with a grounding collar. Rui approached it, then stopped when it looked up and began to spark. Rui knelt, and the Plusle seemed to calm down as it saw Rui's face.

"Got anything that can break this collar?" Rui asked.

"Not on me." Wes said, shoving his hands into his pockets. He almost yelled again as his hand scraped the inside of his pocket and a pointy object. He drew the object out, and smiled. An old pocketknife. He knelt next to Rui and opened the lock after several tries. He heard footsteps come in, and several cries from Duking's children as they embraced the small rodent. Duking looked happy.

* * *

Duking shook Wes's good hand and gave Rui a hug as they began to leave Pyrite.

"If you ever need a place to stay, you're always welcome." Duking called.

Wes waved and he and Rui left, ready to leave this old town named after fool's gold.

* * *

 **A/N: I'd like to give a special shout out to rylek196 for inspiring the Sudowoodo escape scene.**

 **So, what will happen with our dynamic duo and their Pokemon friends?**

 **Quick question, though. Would it interest you guys if I made a series of stories about the ancient Pokemon world? I have several ideas, but maybe you guys have some interesting ones that you would like to put in? They are more like fairy tales, and you would PM me with prompts. It is more of an interactive thing with readers, and I'm trying to master an older style of writing stories. PM if you're interested.**


	10. Chapter 10: Into the Desert

**And I'm back with a new chapter! I'm running out of witty things to say in these author notes...**

 **Anyhoo, read and enjoy!**

 **And Now, Our Feature Presentation!**

* * *

Wes managed to get twenty miles from Pyrite Town before the pain in his hand became unbearable. Rui pointed out a trail marking that marked an oasis, and he parked the bike and yanked his glove off. The shards still in his hands had turned the surrounding skin an angry red, and a twitch of his fingers sent pain firing up his arm. Some shards were jutting out of his hand.

"Wes, why didn't you say something?!" Rui said, her tone exasperated. She had shouted in Wes's ear, causing him to flinch and yank a shard out prematurely.

"FUCK!" Wes yelled. Rui plucked tweezers out of her bag and motioned for Wes to give her his hand.

"Let's put our Pokémon out so they can get some water and don't have to wait." Wes said, not wanting to subject himself to medical attention just yet.

Soon there was a small gathering of Pokémon drinking and wading through the oasis. Wes sat on a rock, giving Rui his hand. He shrugged off the Snag Machine in an effort to distract himself from getting his hand poked at. Rui was concentrating, her brow furrowed as she deftly picked shards out of his hand.

"How do you even know this stuff?" Wes asked.

Rui smirked. "I was training at the Goldenrod Pokémon Center. The basic treatment for injuries is almost the same for people as well as Pokémon."

Wes nodded, then swallowed a curse as a particularly large shard was pulled out. Leveche and Harmatten came over, leaning on Wes. Leveche sent calm feelings out to him, and added Harmatten's concern to the mix. Wes smiled and patted the black feline and his littermate.

"There, all done." Rui said, wiping the tweezers on her skirt. Wes flexed his hand, and was relieved to note that his hand could open and close without problems. It just hurt.

Wes observed the Pokémon. Harmatten and Leveche were off to one side with Quilava, Flaaffy, Makuhita, and Meditite. The other Pokémon were lounging around, except for the more recently caught ones. Mantine and Qwilfish floated in place, facing Wes. He sighed.

"Go play in the water." Wes grumbled. The water Pokémon floated over to the water, never touching the ground. Wes spotted mechanical devices on the back of their necks, and then the answer for the mysterious floating came into Wes's mind.

It was a machine that functioned as an energy converter, using the same amount of energy water bound Pokémon used to swim through water to keep it aloft. It essentially made a Pokémon able to "swim" through the air, and was only really used for competitive battling. They needed to be taken off after battles to give the Pokémon some measure of relief. They weren't water proof.

Wes called the floaters back over and got them near enough to the water that they could dive right in after he got the converters off. The Pokémon dove in, and Wes put the converters in his pocket. Rui came back over with a small roll of bandages and tried to wrap up Wes's hand.

"I can do it myself." Wes grumbled, snatching the roll and proceeding to wrap his hand himself. Rui rolled her eyes at Wes's stubbornness and tried to find some food for the Pokémon. There wasn't an adequate amount Rui could find in the bike's compartments, but then Quilava and Harmatten came sauntering into the camp with a dead Trapinch in each of their respective mouths. Rui gave the bug-like ground types a hesitant look, but then Leveche came with two Trapinch floating under psychic power. Rui looked at the carcasses presented to her, and gave each Pokémon an approving pat for the good catches. Wes, seeing the extra Trapinch, proceeded to bury the extra one in the sand near the fire pit that previous travelers had made.

"What are you doing?" Rui asked.

"Roast Trapinch." Wes said. "Keeps curious hunters from coming and trying to steal our food."

They started the fire, and soon the Trapinch was roasted in its shell by that night. Wes fed Flaaffy figs that he kept in his food supplies, and Meditite joined them. The rest of the Pokémon found stuff for them to eat. Wes and Rui had eaten as much of the Trapinch as they could, and Wes gave the rest to Quagsire. Rui looked away as the mud-dweller swallowed the carcass whole.

"That's disgusting." Rui said, grimacing. Wes shrugged and found his sleeping gear in the bike and told the Pokémon to sleep. Harmatten and Leveche curled up next to Wes, and Rui's Pidgeotto and Swinub were asleep next to her. The fire died down as the group slept.

* * *

Wes woke up to lots of voices talking and shouting in an odd, but familiar language. He sat up, immediately aware of some of the Shadow Pokémon stirring. He got their Pokéballs out and called them all back. Leveche and Harmatten woke up too.

Wes looked around. A nomad tribe had just arrived, fleet footed Rapidash unique to Orre stamping their feet as their riders got water from the oasis. Carts drawn by Mudsdales had arrayed themselves the oasis, making a protective circle. Wes saw a cloth flag hanging off the side of the leader's wagon, and immediately wanted leave. The robed nomads were not aware of their presence yet.

It was the Dargona clan. He and his parents had belonged to it, but after their own caravan had been wiped out in a vicious sandstorm, Wes had lost all contact with the rest of the clan. He was glad, for they didn't know that Wes was even alive. But his face tattoo would mark him as one of theirs. He immediately began to pack the stuff up, and Rui woke up after some prompting.

"Whu izzit?" Rui asked sleepily.

"We're leaving. Now."

A hand tapped Wes's shoulder. Feeling a sudden dread, Wes turned around.

It was a young woman. She held a clay jug that was full of water, but nearly dropped it when she looked at Wes's face. She babbled in the nomad language, and then took off running for the wagons.

"What's that all about?" Rui asked.

"We need to leave." Wes urgently said, pulling Rui along. They were almost to the bike when Wes heard a loud voice boom.

"What do you mean that we found a kinsman?" The voice said. A large man was striding toward the duo. Wes tried to get to the bike faster, but the man's massive arms grabbed him in a bear hug.

"What are you doing, Kinsman, out here but yourself?" The man boomed.

"We were just leaving." Wes replied, aware that his ability to speak his old language was slightly limited after speaking something else. "How are you, Headsman Tof?"

Headsman Tof set Wes down, looking him over. "By Landorus, you're Headsman Farisi's son! I had no idea that you survived that sandstorm! We picked up some survivors, and we didn't find the rest of you."

"It is all right. I found a new lot in life." Wes said. Harmatten and Leveche approached the group of people that had gathered around their friends. The nomads parted ways when the Pokemon went through the crowd. Wes knelt and reassured the Pokémon that he was alright. Other survivors of Wes's caravan came up, remarking about how much he had grown up. Rui felt a hand tug on her skirt, and a little girl pointed to Swinub in Rui's arms and babbled something.

"Uh, I can't understand you." Rui said, feeling a little awkward. She caught Wes's gaze and motioned him over, noticing Wes was starting to look a little overwhelmed. Wes asked the small group to let him through.

"What?" Wes asked, his eyes flashing with gratitude.

"I have no idea what she just asked." Rui said, her cheeks becoming red with embarrassment. Wes knelt down to the girl's level and spoke to her in the nomad tongue. The girl chattered.

"She was just asking what the Pokémon in your arms was." Wes said to Rui.

"Oh, it's a Swinub." Rui said, holding the little Ice-type out to the little girl. She petted Swinub, and began to giggle when Swinub licked her hand in search for food. Wes turned away from the scene and back to Headsman Tof.

"How long are you staying for?" Wes asked.

"Three days. The winter will be here soon, and we all wish to see home before it gets too cold." The headsman replied.

Wes's heart panged. Home. There was a small settlement that the Dargona clan had made. There they mended their wagons, met back up with the family members who were too incapacitated to travel. All Dargona children were born in that settlement, their mothers staying there to give birth. Wes hadn't seen the place in years. It wasn't within the regular borders of the Orre region, being just beyond Mt. Battle. Lush, green plant life thrived there. Some would plant vegetables in that fertile ground.

"You are welcome to come back, you know." Tof said, his eyes shining with compassion. "Even with whatever new lot you have in life."

Wes considered it. But then he thought about Rui, and the poor Pokémon that he had been catching from Cipher. He suddenly felt a responsibility to them. Cipher, if Miror B. was any indication, would be unhappy that he had been catching their new weapons. They would be gunning for him, even after Rui was delivered to Agate Village. He would be hunted for the remainder of his life, and he would be putting the clan in danger if he went with them. He thought about what people like Cipher would do to children like the girl who was playing with Rui's Swinub.

"I will consider that offer." Wes finally answered. "But not right now."

Tof suddenly glanced behind Wes, and grinned when he saw Rui. Wes followed the man's gaze.

"She yours?" Tof asked.

"No!" Wes hissed. "She was kidnapped. I'm taking her to Lushgana1."

"I see." The headsman replied, stroking his chin. "Well, I would be honored to have you and your young friend to be guests at our fire tonight."

"Alright."

* * *

Rui had never seen anything like this before. She lived in Johto for her whole life, only traveling out of the country in the company of her mother to visit her grandparents in Orre. Things were fundamentally different out here, especially with the native tribes.

Wes told her of the headsman's offer. She knew it was rude to decline, and she was also curious to see the culture that taught their people the skills of surviving in the desert. She was surprised.

Dinner was a communal thing. Baskets of dried fruit, dates, and berries mixed inside were placed in a circular fashion around a fire. Strips of jerky were also placed with the baskets, and Pokémon sat with the people that tamed them. Rui was encouraged to bring Swinub, but Wes suggested that she leave Pidgeotto in its Pokéball. The nomads were very wary of birds, as Fearow and sometimes migrating Pidgeot would carry off Pokémon and sometimes people. Children were only allowed to roam freely when outside cities, as the noise and concentration of people kept the large birds away. The girl from earlier sat next to Rui, making faces at Swinub. Swinub had to be held tightly, as it knew food was near and it tried to get into it.

Wes had taken off his duster and goggles, leaving them in the compartment in the bike. His face had gotten darker with sun, and Rui noticed that her skin was also turning darker. But it couldn't match up to the swarthy skin of the nomads, who spent day after day in the hot sun.

The headsman stood near the fire, gathering everyone's attention with his deep, commanding voice. Rui saw everyone fold their hands neatly in their laps, including Wes.

"Landorus, Celebi," began Tof. "god and goddess of the good earth, we would bless this food and the company of these two strangers with your good name. We would bless Weskell, who has returned to us when we thought him dead, and his companion Rui, who is from lands from across the sea. We thank you for this bountiful meal and this company."

Everyone nodded once. Rui gave Wes an odd look.

"What?" Wes asked.

"Weskell?" Rui said, her eybrow traveling up her forehead. She witnessed Wes turn red for the first time as he rubbed the back of his head.

"My full name." He mumbled. "It's a common name among the nomads."

Rui grinned, finally finding something that Wes could be teased about. She plucked a date from the basket and carefully bit into it, savoring the sweet and smoky flavor of it. Wes grinned and took a strip of jerky from the plate and began to chew. Harmatten gave Rui this wide-eyed look, like he was begging. With his red eyes, it made him look a little frightening. Rui only shook her head, then noticed that the Pokémon were eating with the people. She scooted over, and the feline tucked in to a big strip of meat and a handful of dates. Leveche simply opened her mouth and a berry would levitate into her mouth. Wes rolled his eyes and was chatting with some of the people around them in the nomad language. Rui, with nothing to say, kept quiet. She looked around at the people, because she hadn't seen anything like this before.

The nomad people's auras danced, filled with colors for joy, happiness, and contentment. She blinked, and it was gone. She rubbed her eyes, always itchy after her searching. This was the first time she did that intentionally, and her mind felt like it was overflowing with happiness. She looked up, and caught an wizened old man staring at her. His expression was undecipherable. Thinking that she did something wrong, Rui looked down at her lap. Swinub was comfortable, his belly full of good food. She absently petted him, thinking about how the old man almost seemed like he knew what she had been doing.

Soon, the food had been eaten and leftovers had been put away. Children yawned and went to bed, followed by adults only moments later. Rui went over to the place where she and Wes had slept the night before. Wes was there, holding what looked like several blankets.

"What are those?" Rui asked, barely containing a yawn.

"They're for us." Wes said. "There is a really bad sandstorm that is supposed to go by here soon, and some of the ladies thought we needed these to help protect us from the sand."

Rui rubbed one of the blankets between her fingers. It was almost silky to the touch, but the texture had to be that of wool. When Rui thought there were at least three blankets, it turned out that they were just a big piece of cloth and two smaller ones. She draped it over her shoulders, the fabric light and able to breath.

"What are these, though?" Rui said.

"Burnooses." Wes said. "They use them to protect from the sand that gets picked up by the wind. The wind can sand your skin off if it gets windy enough."

Rui cringed. "Then how do you put it on?"

Wes showed Rui how to fashion the burnoose into a cloak. One of the smaller pieces of cloth went around Rui's head as a turban-like hood.

"It doesn't feel stuffy." She said, twirling in it.

"Why would you wear woolen clothes in the middle of the desert?" Wes asked. "Pretty stupid idea to me."

"It kind of feels like wool, though." Rui said.

Wes grinned. "It's Whismicott fluff. That stuff is what they make their clothes out of, and it doesn't take a lot."

Rui frowned. "Aren't you one of them?"

Wes's grinned faded. "I haven't been one of them for a long time."

Wes walked away, leaving Rui to wonder what she just said.

* * *

Wes was a little ways into the desert, carrying everyone's Pokéballs. He had been observing how to get the Pokémon inn his possession to get them into that Hyper Mode the binders talked about earlier in the day, and he was ready to get the Pokémon to not be so in pain.

The binders had gone on to say that the hormonal blockers did shorten the life of a Pokémon, but it wasn't a big concern to the scientists that wrote the binders. That bothered Wes the most. He knew also that battling was a good way for the Pokémon to burn through the blockers, so he was going to try a little experiment.

He released Flaaffy and Meditite. Flaaffy didn't act like a robot so much anymore, actually coming up to Wes on its own volition. Meditite swung its arms' seeming confused about why it was here. Its eyes began to gleam, and Wes whistled softly.

The gleam died down, and Meditite came over. Its face now seemed to be very expressive, and it wasn't so robotic with its movements. Wes knew that Quilava and Makuhita were in the same wagon, so to speak.

Wes called them back, and released some of the others. He walked among them, giving them once-overs to make sure none of them had gotten hurt from earlier fighting. They all watched him with eyes without feeling.

Wes had some of them battle each other, under orders to not hurt each other. He had to call out quite a few times, but otherwise it didn't get out of hand. The moon was low in the sky when Wes decided that they should quit for the night.

Tomorrow would dawn bright and early, after all.

* * *

 **So we see some world building here. *rubs hands while cackling evilly*. I really like doing this kind of thing, as I think and think and feel like there should be more to our favorite Pokemon world.**

 **Yes, before you guys give me crap, Wes's full name is Weskell. It sounds cool, and properly nomadish...**

 **Also, if you guys didn't already know, I made a legends series for this little headcanon 'verse of mine. If you want, you could check it out on my published stories list.**


	11. Chapter 11: Agate Village

**EDIT 07/22/2018: Hey, so this chapter got an edit because I felt like it didn't flow quite like I wanted it to.**

 **So have fun, and enjoy!**

* * *

Rui woke up to find that the sun had barely risen. She squinted, then rubbed her eyes. People were bustling around, getting things packed into carts. Mudsdales and Rapidashs were being led to the oasis to take final drinks of water. She watched as everyone, including the children, rushed around with baskets and cloth bundles and put them in the wagons. Wes soon was up too, rubbing his eyes to dispel sleepiness.

"What's going on?" Rui asked.

"Their tryin' to get going before the sandstorm gets here." Wes said, pointing off to the south as he blinked the last of the sleep from his eyes.

Rui saw a wall the color of sand rising up. She now saw the usefulness of her new clothes and retrieved them. There was an extra length of cloth that Rui couldn't fathom the use of, so she gave Wes the extra cloth. He rolled his eyes and wrapped it around his head and neck.

They quickly followed the surrounding nomads' example, and soon the bike's engine whined as Wes started it. Getting caught in an Orre sandstorm like that was going to kill them if they stayed. Rui shut the back compartment on the bike, looking over their camp spot. "Did we get everything?"

Wes double checked, and nodded when he couldn't find any important bit or bobs left in the sand. "Nope, we're all good. Let's go, before nature decides it wants our skin more than we do."

Rui found a thin metal gadget on the floor of the sidecar. She held it and found a catch in the side that flipped the gadget open. The thing beeped, and a map grid and readouts flickered to life.

"Rui, we need to go _now._ " Wes hissed. Rui jumped into the sidecar, and they were soon off. She finally got the gadget to plot a route from Pyrite Town to Agate Village. The engine of the bike reached a new pitch, and Rui heard Wes growl several words in what she assumed was his native tongue. She held the gadget within his range of vision, and he nodded. He pulled his visor down over his eyes and gunned it.

Rui turned around and kept an eye on the sandstorm. She felt the bike finally ease into a speed that didn't stress the engine so bad, but they didn't slow down. Wes kept his injured hand in his lap, the bandages ruffling a little in the wind. He knew that his hand would be fine in a couple of days, but it itched something fierce. He idly rubbed it against the seat, soothing some of the itch.

The rest of the day was spent trying to get to Agate Village. Both sighed with relief as they lost sight of the sandstorm as they delved into a series of canyons. The lull of quiet winds and the slow speed of navigating the canyons soon had Wes feeling much calmer. Wes looked over after several hours passed without a comment from the Sidecar Gallery. He smirked, because Rui had fallen asleep. She even started to drool in her sleep. He slowed the bike a little to turn a corner, and grass tufts started to appear along the road. The smell of rich earth and growing things filled his nose as the canyons tapered off into a lowland meadow. He felt like laughing, for he hadn't been in this part of Orre since he was a little kid. Leveche and Harmatten hadn't even seen it yet.

Agate Village was only a little ways off. There were some grassy foothills that led up to the mountain range that went across Orre's northeastern border, and the volcanic ash from Mt. Battle was often blown here, creating a rich farmland that provided all who came here with food for them and their Pokémon. The sun was setting as Wes saw people suddenly appear in fields along the road. They were heading back to a small settlement along a glittering ribbon of a river, and they shouted greetings in the nomad language as he rode past.

Wes waved back, for the people couldn't see his face from that far away. He kept driving, passing several nomad clan villages before the prime reason for this long drive came into sight over a small bluff.

Agate Village was across a fast-flowing river, spanned by a bridge that looked very sturdy. The village was almost built into a cliff face, but really was just a steep hill. No walls were around the village, and nomad flags hung out the windows of some of the dwellings. Wes heard a happy noise, and saw that Rui had woken up. She was looking at Agate Village like she was coming home. The place looked calm and tranquil, and Wes felt a knot in his chest that he didn't know he had undid itself. He felt lighter, for some odd reason.

Rui put her hand on her chest too.

"Did you feel that?" Rui asked, her eyes wide.

Wes nodded. "The stories about this place are true."

They stopped the bike on a patch of grass that was beside the bridge. Wes got off, stretching his long legs. Rui stretched too, but she gave Wes a questioning look.

"Stories?" Rui asked again.

"Agate Village, or Lushgana as it's known by the nomads, is a sacred place. No tribe can actually claim the place as their own, so those of different tribes come in and live here as representatives." Wes explained. "Those that are old often come here as well. Or that's what I was told."

"What's so sacred about it?" Rui asked.

Wes shrugged. "Beats me. I haven't ever been here. You have."

Rui scuffed the ground with a boot. "I haven't been here for years. My grandparents might not even recognize me," She looked sadly up at the village. "They might not even remember me now."

Wes shrugged, "Only one way to find out, right?"

Rui nodded, her sadness morphing into fragile hope. The duo walked across the bridge. Kids, adults, and elderly people were walking about. Some gave greeting to Rui as they passed. Rui waved, happy that she was somewhere friendly. Wes only kept his eyes on the ground.

Rui ended up leading Wes up a natural ramp in the side of the hill. Wes saw that homes were made out of white stone that could be found in the mountains near here. Other houses didn't seem to have roofs, instead having been built inside the old root beds of giant trees. Wes absently ran his bandaged fingers over the tree root that held the walls of one house, and was startled to find that it was as unyielding and cool as stone. He yanked his other glove off and felt the root. It was the same texture, even.

Rui looked back to see Wes look puzzled, with his hand against the root.

"It's petrified." Rui said, turning around. Wes was startled out of his reverie and stuck his hands in his pockets and hurried to catch up.

Finally, Rui and Wes came to a house that was more old tree than white stone. Rui softly knocked on the door. A reedy voice came from within.

"Who is it?"

"It's Rui, Grandmother," Rui replied, "I made it here, safe and sound. May we come in?"

The reedy voice sounded happy, "Oh, Rui! We are so glad you got here! Come in, come in! I just started supper, so come make yourselves comfortable."

Wes wondered why this 'Grandmother didn't question Rui's statement of 'we', but soon Rui was tugging him through the door. He stumbled into possibly the most place he had ever seen. It felt lived in, in a very cozy and comfortable way. Woven blankets were draped over furniture, and rugs covered the wooden floor. Stairs led up to the rest of the house. Wes could see a small kitchen just around the stairs, and a kettle boiled merrily on the stove. Rui had gone off to the left, into the living room. Wes went that way, too.

Rui was hugging a petite old woman, both chattering away. Wes could only catch every four words or so. An old, tall man was watching the two women, dressed in the typical robes of a nomad elder. Wes could see flinty eyes set over the bushy moustache and beard. The elder man's eyes looked over to Wes, and Wes immediately felt like he was being appraised. The old woman looked Wes over as well.

"Rui, who is this?" The old woman asked.

"A friend," Rui said. "He saved me from kidnappers on my way here."

Wes opened his mouth to protest. He had only been in the right place at the wrong time, and he would be going now _thank you_. But Rui came over and ushered Wes over to her grandparents before he could voice anything. The old couple gave him a contemplative look. Wes felt irritation looming. This might not end well at all. But his Rui –appointed task was done, and now he actually could go where he pleased after this. But only if these people would quit staring at him like he was some new thing to consider.

"We are grateful that you rescued our granddaughter." Rui's grandfather finally began. "But how is it that a Dargona tribesman in outsider's clothes has come to be the rescuer?"

"I wish to know as well." Rui's grandmother said.

"Right place, wrong time." Wes said stiffly. They even guessed which tribe he was from? He cursed himself for that stupid thought. These elderlies were either nomads themselves or lived with enough of them to pick out clan marks. Of course. "The kidnappers singled me out, and I kicked them to the curb."

"By Landorus." Breathed Rui's grandmother, looking at Rui. "You could have been severely hurt."

Wes resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Well, we can say all the ifs we want, now can't we?"

Rui gave him a warning look. Wes shrugged, because he only pointed out the truth.

"But it easily couldn't have," Rui's grandfather said, his expression still stony. "The both of you were brave, but you were lucky it didn't go any differently. The injury I see on your hand is a testament to this. Bella, would you take a look at the wound?"

Wes stood, "Thank you, elders, for the offer. But I must be going."

"You are that anxious to leave?" Rui's grandfather said, raising his eyebrows.

"I gotta get out of here, because those Cipher goons maybe following me." Wes said. "The longer I stay, the worse off you guys will be. They may even trying the Kidnapping: Plan Number Two."

"Wes…" Rui began to say, but Wes shook his head.

"The farther I get away from here, the better." Wes said, "And that's all I have to say."

Rui's grandmother looked very skeptical at Wes's words, and Rui's grandfather stroked his beard. Wes knew he was being rude, but he could put these people in severe danger if he stayed. He at least owed to them to not endanger them.

"You assume that we can't defend ourselves?" said Rui's grandfather. "Some of us here have traveled even more than the nomads have, and most of us know how to fight. Sounds to me like this young man is afraid of responsibility of his actions."

"Am not!" Wes growled. Rui glared at Wes, but her grandmother had Rui follow her into the kitchen. The old lady whispered something that sounded suspiciously like "men talk".

The air grew tense as they regarded each other. Wes knew that this elder wanted to make sure that Wes wasn't a danger, but he was. Even if it was only a passive, yet high-risk one.

The elder man gave Wes a look, "Afraid that you might grow attached, is that it?"

"It's not your business, old man." Wes growled.

"Am I correct or not?"

Wes grumbled. He didn't want to touch upon this, not now. Especially not to the grandpa of a girl he rescued.

"Fine," Wes grumbled sullenly. "I just don't want to see anyone else hurt because of me. I've already made enough pain for others already."

"One shouldn't be happy at another's pain." Rui's grandfather said. "Yet you still have the power to make those wrongs right. Nothing is irreversible, I found. You may have caused pain, but yet you still had the decency and courage to help a girl you didn't even know."

Wes grumbled, feeling his emotions cool. "And that's all there is to it."

The old man heaved a good-humored sigh. "I see."

The smell of good food wafted in the room. Wes heard his stomach growl, and the old man chuckled.

Wes could only focus on the sound of Rui's laughter and his burning cheeks.

* * *

Wes found out that Rui's grandfather's name was Eagun, and that Bella was a very good cook. He also found out that Eagun was not a native to the region, though he dressed like it.

Rui had given him a concerned look after they sat down at the table, but Wes gave her the look of 'not wanting to talk about it'. She shrugged and began to dish herself food. They also let out the Pokémon, with Rui's Pidgeotto and Swinub and Leveche and Harmatten eating food that had been set out for them. Eagun let a Pikachu out as well, its fur around its muzzle beginning to turn grey with age. It sparked with health regardless, and tucked in with its fellow creatures.

The conversation at the table was filled with laughter. Rui, regardless of Wes's overall demeanor, made light talk about instances from other visits here. Wes tried to keep an indifferent frown on his face, but the mood at the table kept him from completely slipping into that mask. He felt Leveche's happy mood through the link in his mind.

 _Calm down, there isn't anything wrong._ She sent. _It's called kindness, and you're being rude._

Wes almost sent a mental growl back, but the door burst open. A young man with a pair of overalls lightly coated with dirt came in, his eyes wide with panic.

"Daniel, what is the meaning of this?!" Rui's grandmother shouted.

The young man ducked his head. "Forgive me, Missus Bella. But there are strange people that blocked off the way to the Relic Stone, and they had some weird Pokémon with them. I came to get Eagun, being that he is the strongest."

Eagun rose from his spot at the table and motioned with his hand. The Pikachu leapt to his shoulder, its cheeks sparking blue-white electricity. The old man and the guide ran out the door. Wes grumbled and wiped his mouth with his hand.

"Where are you going?" Rui demanded, getting up from her seat.

"If it's who I think it is, then Eagun isn't going to be able to fend them all off." Wes said.

Rui gasped as the implication hit, and stood up to leave. Wes motioned to his Pokémon, the duo and their Pokémon ran out the door.

* * *

 **A/N: Dun duuun daaaaaaaaaaa...**

 **What shall happen next? Find out next time!**


	12. Chapter 12: The Relic Stone

**Hi, I'm back from a serious case of writer's block. That block sat on my desk for who knows how long...**

 **And Now, Our Feature Presentation!**

* * *

They rushed through the village, whipping around corners as they hurried to see what was going on with Eagun and the man that fetched him. Wes knew that something was up. The man seemed very secretive about what was at stake, but Eagun knew exactly what it was. He noticed Rui veer off into another direction, and he assumed she knew a faster way of getting to the place where they were going. He kept going.

Wes and the Pokémon ran down a natural ramp and came to a halt outside a cave. The cave had a small stream coming out of it and it joined the river. Rui joined him at this point, carrying the Snag Machine in her arms.

"I don't think I'm going to be throwing anything for a while, Rui." Wes said, lightly waving his bandaged hand.

"You can put it on the other arm, can't you?" She growled. Wes raised his eyebrows in surprise at her tone, and she rolled her eyes and motioned at the cave.

Wes and Rui plunged into the cave. Their Pokémon immediately went on high alert, their stances tense and wary. Wes could actually see very well inside the cave, and he spotted two Cipher people standing watch.

Their hands went immediately to their belts, but Wes snapped his fingers. Harmatten and Makuhita body slammed the two people and knocked tem unconscious. Rui ran ahead, and she tossed Wes the Sang Machine. He put it on the arm he regularly put it on, but he wondered how he was going to be able to actually pull off any captures if he had to. He breathed through his nose as he shrugged the machine on and flicked the switch to turn it on. The red lines on the machine began to glow as they powered up, and Wes ran out of the cave.

Eagun was in a battle with a Cipher grunt, his Pikachu moving at lightning fast speeds as it harassed a Hitmontop. The Fighter was spinning so fast that its arms were blurs, but none of them touched the old rodent. Eagun was standing his ground, a veteran of many battles. Wes recalled all of his Pokémon, except for Meditite and Leveche. He knew he would need these two if things got ugly.

The Hitmontop's limbs began to shine with dark energy, and Eagun's Pikachu bared its teeth in a startled snarl. Its body glowed with electricity, and it sent itself at the darkly shining Hitmontop. The Hitmontop stuttered in its fighting rhythm.

Wes almost cheered that this old veteran could beat these monstrosities, but Hitmontop's limbs became a blur as it bashed into Pikachu. The poor rodent squeaked in alarm and was thrown back toward Eagun. Eagun scooped the small rodent into his arms, but the fighter kept going.

"Get in there NOW!" Wes roared. Leveche and Meditite jumped into the fight. The Hitmontop let out a human-like snarl as it was forced to look at the new threat. Eagun carefully retreated, and Wes took his place.

The grunt that was commanding the Hitmontop growled. Wes recognized him as one of the guys that had fought him back in Pyrite.

"YOU!?" yelled the grunt. "How dare you show up here, after you humiliated me!" The man tossed out a Wynaut.

"At least I'm not such a sore loser, apparently." Wes growled back. Meditite dove at the Wynaut with a cry, and soon the two smaller Pokémon were stirring up a cloud of dust. But Wes wasn't paying much attention to them, for he was looking over Leveche' opponent.

The Hitmontop idly spun, the blunt point on the top of its head grinding into the rock of the platform. Leveche languidly waved her tail, but her eyes glimmered with the sparks of psychic power. Wes snapped his fingers.

Leveche exploded forward, her light purple form turning into a blur. The Hitmontop went after her with another word from his Trainer. The fighter whirled like a dust devil, and chased the feline around the stone structure that sat in the middle of the platform.

"Confusion, Leveche!" Wes yelled. He felt his throat rumble with the force of his shout. Leveche eyes flashed blue for a second, and the Hitmontop veered away abruptly and smacked into the stone pillar that stood in the middle of the platform.

"Careful with the Stone!" Eagun shouted. "That is very important to us!"

Hitmontop got over it moment of confusion and spun at Leveche again. This time she smacked into the fighter with Return, and knock it off course. Its spinning began to slow down, and Wes knew that this was the time to actually catch the Pokémon. He curled his injured hand around the Ball, and a flare of dull pain zinged through his hand. He grimaced, and threw that Poke Ball with all he had.

It overshot Hitmontop by a couple of feet and hit the Cipher grunt instead. He yelped at the impact and held his leg where the Ball had hit it. Wes couldn't see the grunt's eyes, but he had the impression that he was glaring at him through those odd goggles they had. He grumbled and got another Ball out.

Meditite punched the Wynaut for the eighth time, and finally the little blue punching bag fainted. The grunt sent out a Clamperl, the little clam-like Pokémon nashing its shell together menacingly. Meditite yanked back its arm before it got caught in the artificial maw made of shell. Meditite grimaced, and a gleam came to its eye. Wes called it back to earth, as his injured hand held another Pokéball.

Leveche jumped back from another hit from Hitmontop, and Wes again threw the capsule. It bounced off the ground and caught the spinning Pokémon. The grunt went to grab the ball, but Leveche stood over it and growled fiercely. The grunt counteracted it by sending out a Geodude, who used its flying momentum to try and squash Leveche. Leveche sent a psychic shock that was more powerful than any attack Wes had seen her make, and the Geodude was sent flying back again. It landed in a spray of dirt and grass, but the hardy Rock-type only picked itself up and levitated back into the battle. Meditite had a hard time countering the Clamperl, not able to get near it without it trying to take a chunk out of it.

Leveche kicked the Pokéball away from her fight, and Wes saw Rui pick it up out of the corner of his eye. He smiled for the first time in the fight.

"Finish it, you two!" Wes called out. The two Pokémon switched opponents, Leveche using her psychic power to slam the Clamperl into unconsciousness and Meditite punching the Geodude with all of its might. Both Clamperl and Geodude fainted, and were withdrawn in a hurry. The Cipher grunt ran away, yelling for people to begin to retreat. Wes was slightly confused at that, until he remembered the people they had found inside the cave.

Rui approached him and held out the Pokéball that held the new acquisition to the team. Wes unwittingly reached for the ball with his injured hand, and saw red spots begin to grow on the bandages. He grimaced, now noticing the pain of his hand.

Eagun approached him. "that was a very brave thing to do, Wes."

Wes looked at his feet. "The Cipher grunt would have killed you if I hadn't stepped up. Had to repay you for supper and all."

Eagun's old face broke out into a grin. "It would seem so, young man." But then Eagun's face became serious.

"Why would they be after the Relic Stone, of all things?" Rui asked her grandfather.

"I don't know." Eagun replied. "But the Hitmontop didn't like going anywhere near it."

Wes cocked his head to the side. Now that he thought about it, the Hitmontop had done its best to stay away from the oddly-shaped stone pillar that sat in the middle of the platform. But why?

"The intruder ordered his Pokémon to stay away from the pillar after it seemed to be conflicted. Odd, but worthy of note." Eagun grumbled. Rui nodded in agreement

"What's so special about the pillar anyway?" Wes asked. The grandfather-granddaughter duo turned to him with shocked expressions.

"You're a nomad and have no idea what the Relic Stone is?" Eagun gasped.

"Let's just say I haven't." Wes grumbled. "What's so important about it?"

"It's a place where Celebi and Landorus's influence manifest into a palpable form." Eagun began.

"Eh?" Wes asked.

"It's a shrine to Landorus and Celebi." Rui said, her tone gentle. "The nomads sometimes come here to pray for safe travels and give thanks to their freedom."

Wes nodded. He knew that story, of the Farth Tribe winning its freedom from the cruel Haruban Empire. The hero of that particular tale was who he was named after. But he still didn't know what the stone pillar was for. He looked at the pillar, and without thinking he put his injured hand on it.

A cool pulse thrummed through his fingers and spread through his hand. Wes yanked his hand away and inspected it. The previously weeping wounds now were semi-healed, and he put his hand back on the stone. But the cool pulse didn't return.

"Weird." Wes grumbled under his breath.

"No," answered Eagun. "Only a natural blessing. I think I know why the intruders tried to destroy it."

Rui and Wes turned to the old man. Eagun's eyes were glittering with humor and wisdom.

"The stone is said to give its blessing to wash away the darkness in the hearts of man and Pokémon. Those that appeal to the two gods of this land of plenty can have their peace of mind and serenity restored. It is said to be a miracle."

"No wonder." Rui breathed. "It can help cure the Pokémon they are creating of their dark auras."

"Aye, I would believe so." Eagun gravely replied. He turned to Wes.

"Should we test this?" Rui asked. "I think Makuhita and Quilava would be open to the idea."

Wes frowned. He unclipped the capsules from his belt and let the two Pokémon out of their confinement. Both glanced around, their postures still stiff with aggression. Wes held out his hand for Quilava to sniff, and the fire weasel relaxed. Makuhita took some prompting from Leveche and one threatened Confusion before it calmed down. Wes carefully nudged the two Pokémon close to the Relic Stone, prepared for nothing to happen.

The Relic Stone began to glow green. Wes jumped back as two orbs of emerald light circled his two Pokémon, both entranced by the lights. Then the two lights burst and the humans present had to shield their eyes. Wes's voice caught in his throat as he feared for his Pokémon. He tried to look in the light for his friends, but the light was too blinding.

Time seemed to stretch for Wes, for a few seconds seemed to stretch for hours as his heart pounded with worry. This light couldn't be harmful, could it? Eagun said it came from a benevolent source, but still the green light still seemed to be ominous.

The glow died down, and time seemed to trip and shrink back to its original place. Wes was greeted very suddenly by Makuhita and Quilava. Their faces were no longer slack, but instead filled with the same emotion that other Pokémon had. Makuhita latched onto Wes's leg like a small child, making happy sounds. Quilava only let its quills of fire burst up, singeing one corner of Wes's coat. He shifted quickly before it caught on fire.

Rui was laughing, and Wes felt a peculiar feeling. Just an odd feeling that came up when Rui stood there and laughed with joy and relief, surrounded by the peaceful forest and the happiness of all those present. He looked away, but the feeling of lightness didn't go away.

 _Is this what true happiness feels like?_ Wes wondered. _But we still have a hard road ahead. But it seems more bearable than before._

* * *

 **A/N: So yeah, I'm back. Sorry t' keep you all waiting. But the block was real, and I had no way to come up with a way for this story to be as good as it needs to be. I was stuck.**

 **Then came Lupin III to the rescue. It gave me ideas, and got me back into writing with my usual style. And a rash of being able to draw very well. I'm now very happy.**


	13. Chapter 13: The Fight Begins

**Here she is, the belated next chapter. See end of chapter for notes.**

 **And Now, Our Feature Presentation!**

* * *

The next five days were a balm for Wes's mind.

The fight at the Relic Stone and the subsequent purifying (he had no other way to describe it) of the Pokémon had left him drained. He had been ordered to bed as soon as they all came back to Rui's grandparent's home.

The morning sunlight struck Wes's eyes, forcing him to blink and shield his eyes. A patchwork quilt slid down as he sat up. His hand throbbed a little as he straightened, and he glanced around. He had been put on the sofa of the living room, and his Pokémon were all currently curled up on the floor. Harmatten, Leveche, even the other Pokémon had formed a dogpile that was still. Wes felt his lips curl into a smile unknowingly. He looked around, and nobody came to see if he had woken up. Good, he wanted a little privacy to himself.

He grabbed his blue duster and headed out the door. The grass was wet with dew, and it soaked the toes of his shoes as he walked around Agate Village. People were already up and about, and some even waved to him as he passed. He felt awkward after he waved, remembering his bandaged hand. He stuck it back in his pocket, wondering where he would be going. Maybe he could leave this afternoon with his Pokémon. As much as it would be good for them all, the thought still left a niggling feeling of loss still went through Wes's mind.

He huffed and found a good spot along the river to sit. Wes dangled his booted feet above the water, watching the morning sun rise above the hills. It illuminated the desert, reminding him that the desert was never too far away. The air was clean, Pokémon chirped morning greeting, and the immediate area was calm. With such an environment, Wes began to think.

 _What could I do? Even though we're on Cipher's radar, leaving Orre could lose them. It's a big world after all. Unova's to the east, and I can get into Almia through the Haruban desert. From Almia, it's a short hop from there to Fiore. Unova is close to Kalos, and Kalos is connected to three different regions by land. There's adventure to be had out there, if only I leave._

 _But do I really want to leave? Leave the land that my ancestors have wandered and fought over for hundreds of years? Leave a place where despite all the harshness, I feel happy and safe?_

Wes had the sudden mental image of what may have happened if his parents never died. He would be wearing the loose clothes of a nomad, not a blue duster and a black jumpsuit. He would probably be trying to impress some girl, take her on rides on a fiery Rapidash that would be fast. He might even ask her father to broker a marriage between them. He had only distant memories of those things. But those things didn't interest Wes at all. Not anymore.

Wes huffed as he also thought over living in the cities of Orre.

 _No contest, I like moving around too much. And cities get cramped after a while. Traveling sounds good, but to never return sounds awful. This place, this region, is home._

Wes mulled over his options. He was still trying to decide when he heard the grass nearby crunch. He turned his head, and Rui was standing there.

"Hey." Rui said. "Your hand giving you trouble?"

Wes flexed his fingers experimentally. It had been three days since that happened. His hand only throbbed a little, instead of sending pain flaring up his wrist.

"Getting better." Wes replied. "It's kinda early to be up, though."

Rui shrugged and sat down beside him. She didn't have her jacket this time, and Wes could see she was shivering.

"I could say the same for you." Rui said.

"Couldn't think inside the house," Wes said. "and the sunrise is nice to see."

"Yeah."

They sat there, watching the sun climb higher in the sky. Rui was the one who broke the silence.

"Whatcha thinking about?"

"Leaving."

Rui snorted. "I hope I haven't been that bad to be around."

"Not you." Wes grumbled. "I mean Orre."

 _Although leaving here would mean leaving you, too._

 _Shut up._ Wes mentally growled at himself.

"What so hard about leaving this place?" Rui asked. "Granted, I'm a foreigner. All we see is a barren wasteland when we look at Orre. But it can't be that hard."

"It's hard to leave a place that you call your homeland, I guess." Wes said. "But to make this place a safe place for me to be, Cipher can't be here. And I can't take on a whole syndicate all on my own. That's an idiot thing to do."

"But you're not alone." Rui said.

Wes raised his eyebrows. "Oh? And who would help me?"

Rui glared at him. "Me, for starters. I may not be a fighter, but I can learn. And I doubt that you're the only one who would love to beat Cipher out of Orre."

"Oh."

"Remember Duking and his kids? They'd help. Probably the sheriff too." Rui said. "You can find help. You just have to ask."

Wes looked at Rui. She was so determined, and she looked fierce. Fierce enough to start to convince him of what she was saying. Rui's face softened, and she looked down at the water moving by.

"And those poor Pokémon they've tortured. Someone needs to help them, and no one else will if we don't."

Wes sighed. Idealism was all well and good, but he was more concerned about his and his Pokémon's wellbeing rather than anyone else's. But Rui raised some good points. He could start a crusade; maybe do some lasting damage to Cipher. But he was more concerned with those Pokémon they had been encountering. Wes never handled seeing something or someone suffer. It was the reason he left Team Snagem. He shuddered, glad he left. Leveche and Harmatten would have become Shadow Pokémon, never to be happy again. No Pokémon deserved that.

Rui was right, in that if this was to be done, at least do it for the Pokémon and people. And if someone was going to take them back from Cipher, it might as well be him. He was used to stealing Pokémon, and he sure as hell wouldn't be giving the Snag Machine over to anyone else.

"Wes?" Rui asked.

"Cipher is bigger than the people they have in the Orre region." Wes said. "But at least I won't be the only one in this. But if you're going to help, you're going to have to learn how to battle effectively."

"What?" Rui said. "But I'm not that good at battling."

Wes stood up and dusted off his legs. "Not with that attitude you're not."

"But how?"

"We'll be figuring that out this afternoon and for the next couple of days." Wes said, offering Rui his hand.

"Alright, but I don't promise spectacular results." Rui said, taking his hand. He hoisted her up.

"I think the Pokémon are going to love it." Wes said, grinning.

* * *

Wes was mostly right. His Pokémon were thrilled with the opportunity to help him teach Rui and her Pokémon to fight. Rui's Pokémon weren't quite as happy. Swinub wouldn't do anything if there wasn't a tasty reward at the end. Pidgeotto didn't like the gazes of Harmatten and Leveche.

"C'mon. It can't be that bad." Rui said, trying to get Pidgeotto to stay in front of her. Wes and Harmatten watched, waiting to begin the battling practice.

"RAWK!" Pidgeotto squawked, feathers flying as it took off again.

Harmatten looked back at Wes. While not vocal in the same way as his sister, Harmatten was still able to communicate his feelings or thoughts. Wes grinned and patted the black feline between the ears.

"You can't reverse thousands of years of instinct without some trouble." Wes said. Harmatten rolled his red eyes, which never happened without good reason.

"Need some help, youngsters?"

Wes turned around. An old man stood not too far away. He held a cane to steady himself, but a Taillow perched on his shoulder. The Taillow looked somewhat pained when it saw Pidgeotto.

"Depends." Wes said. "I couldn't use the help, but Rui could."

The old man squinted as he looked at Rui. "Ol' Eagun's granddaughter?"

"Yep."

"My, I remember when she was a tiny little thing. Now she's trying to teach a Pidgeotto?" The old man said. He ambled over to Rui, Wes and Harmatten following at a safe distance.

The old man sighed. Rui gave him a long-suffering look.

"I know I'm not doing something right." Rui grumbled. "But I don't know what."

"You try to train this bird as if he is bound to the ground." The old man said. "He has wings."

"Well, duh!" Rui groused. "But I don't see how that helps."

"Encourage the use of his wings. Don't make him stay on the ground, where he is vulnerable. Birds have wings for good reason."

Rui's expression morphed into one of realization. Wes could almost hear a 'pop' as she connected what the old man was saying.

"Oh. I get it now." Rui said, grinning. "Wes, could we start the battle again?"

Wes's face split into a grin that matched her own.

"Sure."

* * *

Over those remaining four days, Rui's knowledge of battling expanded in leaps and bounds. Wes thought he might have even cured Harmatten and Leveche of their desire to chase down Ryder, Rui's Pidgeotto.

But there was still the little hiccup of the remaining Shadow Pokémon.

Wes and Rui had found out that the Shadow Pokémon couldn't get close to the Relic Stone, for it hurt them if they got too close. They apparently needed to touch it to really become normal again. But there was that problem of getting near it.

Wes sighed as he and Makuhita worked with Meditite. The little Fighter's emotionless expression had finally begun that turn that Wes had seen the others take. It grimaced as Makuhita came close to punching it in the gut. The expression wasn't a happy one, but it was better than no expression at all. But that dangerous glint came into Meditite's eye.

"Meditite." Wes warned.

The little Fighter's shook its head and settled into grim determination. Wes would be surprised if Meditite couldn't come close enough to the stone to purify it. But he had another idea.

He had found out that Shadow Pokémon loved the massages that a young lady did with scents in the village. It actually was the most effective after a fight, and Wes could almost see how it made the Shadow Pokémon's pain and emotionless state slip away. He had the young lady teach him how to do it, for he didn't want to eat up all of her time when she was so busy. So afterwards, Wes was massaging a potent scent into Meditite's back, making the muscles unknot themselves. He was still doing this when Rui came running over.

"Wes, Duking sent us a message!" Rui exclaimed.

Wes stood up quickly. "What's going on?"

"They say there is trouble at Mount Battle, and the people there are asking for help."

Wes looked to the northeast, where the ash from Mount Battle came to Agate Village.

"Wes?" Rui asked. "Are you Ok?"

Wes shook his head. "We'll leave soon. Get packed up."

He didn't look back to see Rui's shocked face.

* * *

"Here's enough scents to last you until you come back to the village." The young woman said.

"Thank you, Hiromi." Wes said as he bowed his head as was the nomad custom. He turned and began to walk down the paths in the village, waving as he said his goodbyes to the kind people of Agate Village. Rui stood with her grandparents at the bridge that spanned the river. His bike waited on the other side.

"Don't forget to come back." Eagun said as Wes approached. "The Pokémon you left here wouldn't be happy if you didn't come back."

Wes grinned. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Bella grinned. "and make sure Rui stays safe in this mad quest of yours, or you will be dealing with me."

Wes looked shocked as Rui giggled. To incur the old lady's wrath was inadvisable, to say the least.

"Grandma, stop it." Rui said, trying not to laugh. She and Wes began to walk over the bridge, and loaded their things onto the bike. Soon, there was no village in their sight as they drove northeast. Rui kept looking back, but Wes could only look forward. The afternoon sun glinted across his goggles.

 _And so the crusade begins._ Wes thought. _Hopefully I won't regret this._

* * *

 **A/N: And the fight against Cipher begins!**

 **So I feel the need to explain myself for not updating. So I got into a drawing kick, and the past few weeks have been devoted to drawing and not writing. That accursed writers block appeared on my desk again, too. So my Deviantart account actually has some art on it, which has been sorely lacking for the last two years I had it. More pictures will be up this evening, including one of Wes and Rui. Feel free to check it out.**

 **Also, I spent a great deal of time getting my college stuff figured out. Schedule's done, I'm in the marching band, and my accomodations are picked out. All done during the last two days. Phew!**

 **Have a great spring! And you high school seniors out there, hang in there! You're almost done!**


	14. Chapter 14: Mt Battle

***sheepishly grins* Ur... Sorry I'm late with updates? Like, extremely sorry. Those of you in the audience with the rotten fruit, stay your hands. I have another chapter for you!**

 **See A/N at the end for lengthy explanation.**

 **And Now, Our Feature Presentation!**

* * *

Mt. Battle loomed over the horizon, casting a long shadow over the desert foothills at its base. The glow of hot lava running down its side did make an effect like artificial light. Low-hanging dark clouds hovered over the peak, illuminated by the light of molten rock.

"That looks evil." Wes said, shading his eyes. "Really. Damned. Evil."

"Don't remind me." Rui said as she wiped her brow. "I swear this is where Moltres lives. Feels hot enough."

Wes wiped his forehead with the back of his glove. The heat of the desert was nothing compared to the veritable oven that was this place. Rui seemed fine, only taking her jacket to deal with the heat. He was now serious considering switching his jumpsuit for nomad robes. He searched around for the entrance to the battle facility, his hand shading his eyes from the ash flying around. He finally located the doors.

"Nothing seems to be wrong. So why are they broadcasting an emergency signal?" Wes grumbled, looking down at the device in his hand. He lightly smacked its side, causing the little lights on the screen to flicker.

"I bet they're under surveillance, or they don't think anyone is actually going to answer." Rui said.

Wes gave a non-committal grunt and put the device back in his duster pocket.

"Whatever we do, we have ta be careful. No on ecoming for us if we mess up."

Rui nodded, and they both headed back to the bike. The bike revved after a spluttering pause, and they were heading for the doors of the Mt. Battle facility. Wes quashed the growing sense of uneasiness he felt. Nomads told stories about monsters living in the mountain, and the superstition that Wes hadn't felt for years reared its suspicious head. Rui noticed the tense silence.

"What's wrong?"

"I wasn't kidding about the mountain." Wes grumbled.

Rui looked back up to the clouded summit. She was silent, and Wes looked over to find her squinting up at the mountain. She shook her head and they were silent again.

What waited for them up there?

* * *

The entrance was unguarded, much to the duo's surprise. Wes let out Meditite and Flaaffy, and the two warily scouted the place. Rui sent out her Swinub, who sniffed around with the other Pokémon. Wes and Rui walked through the small garden that marked the entrance, also alert for any nasty surprises.

A rustle was heard from nearby, and Wes whirled around to shout to his Pokémon to attack.

"WAIT!" The bush yelped. "I'm not here to fight."

A young man in fitness clothes crawled out of the bush. Wes felt somewhat relieved and also ticked that the man had startled them that bad. He waved off his Pokémon.

"Are you guys with the police?" The man asked. "'Cause if you are, thank the gods."

"We're not." Wes answered. "We heard your call for help though."

"Oh. Nobody else is coming?"

"I don't know." Said Wes as he shrugged.

"We're doomed…" The man said, gloomily sighing.

"Hey! We can help!" Rui huffed. "We're both pretty strong!"

 _You're only getting there._ Wes mentally grumbled.

"Don't take it the wrong way." The man said hastily. "But a place shouldn't have to just rely on strong people coming around, ya know. There needs to be some law and order to a region, not total anarchy."

"Well we're here to help, but we aren't a police squad." Wes said. "We're all you got for now."

"Then I'll show you what exactly the problem is." The man said. He beckoned to the entrance to the battle facility.

"Follow me."

* * *

"…Tauros shit." Rui breathed.

Wes had to wholeheartedly agree with her. Tauros shit indeed, because he could spot at least ten Cipher people waiting on the platforms outside. The people that were usually out there were huddled inside the lobby, fearfully whispering and tending to injured Pokémon. Wes was relieved that no one gave up without a fight, but was still bothered that Cipher came in and managed to sweep all the trainers off the platforms.

"Anyone else out there?" Wes asked the desk manager.

She shook her head. "Only the Area Leader, Vander, is out there. The rest of us have Teleport recall when we are defeated, so we're all here."

Wes sighed. This kept getting better and better. He wondered how strong Vander was to have kept Cipher people at bay for this long. But strong or not, Vander would need help. Wes turned around and headed for the doors to the Mt. Battle challenge.

"Where are you going?" Rui asked, following him.

"We came here to help, so I'm helping." Wes said, shoving one of the automatic doors open. "Can't let Vander do all of the work, now can we?"

Rui opened her mouth to say something, but only shook her head when Wes gave her a questioning look. He shook his head and pushed the other door open.

The wind slammed into Wes as he and Rui stepped out on the platform walkway. Wes let out Meditite and Makuhita, and tried to keep his balance. The walkway had rails thankfully, but a strong wind buffeted him against the rails and got a scenic view of the long drop down.

Rui held on to the rail and whistled. "That is one big canyon."

Wes nodded, grimacing as his heart pounded in his ears. He shook it off and advanced, looking for the trouble that had summoned them. He and Rui's hands flew to their Pokéballs when they encountered Cipher trooper number one.

Wes grinned at the puzzled set of the grunt's mouth, being that it was the only part of his face that could be seen.

"GET 'EM!" Wes shouted to his Pokémon.

* * *

The duo and their Pokémon advanced slowly across the floating platforms of Mt. Battle. Wes got done with his battle on platform 6 and was able to watch Rui's progress on platform 7. Her Swinub let out an icy torrent of breath at the opposing Taillow, and the little bird fell.

"Great job, Swinub!" Rui exclaimed as Wes caught up.

"Don't celebrate yet," Wes huffed. "We still have two platforms to go."

"How do you know that?" Rui asked.

"Little hard to miss platforms when they have giant red numbers on them."

Rui flushed with embarrassment at her question, but Wes only gave her a consolatory pat. She swatted him in the side, and he kept himself from retaliating. They had a job to do.

Rui took the lead this time, catching the grunt on Platform eight unawares as Wes ran around the battle platform. He didn't think anything would happen, when he saw the ricochet from a Rollout attack head straight for his Pokémon. Makuhita stopped as Wes yelled, but Meditite was too slow. The boulder whisked by, but glanced off of the little fighter's shoulder and set it spinning too close to the edge of the platform. Wes dove, and managed to catch Meditite before it fell off.

Wes caught the Fighting-type's gaze, and he saw real emotion there. Not the odd glitter of Hyper Mode, but the real glimmer of emotion. A human risking himself to help it?

Wes patted Meditite's head and set it down. "We still have a battle to win."

The Fighting-type grinned and ran to the next platform, with Wes and Makuhita in tow. The Cipher grunt had seen the transpiring battle and his Pokémon were out and ready to fight. Wes pointed and gave Meditite a straightforward command.

"HI Jump kick!"

Meditite became a blur as it launched itself at the opposing Pokémon. The two Pokémon balked at the flying Fighter, and didn't see Makuhita run in like a freight train. The poor Pokémon were knocked out before anything could be done.

Wes looked at the grunt, but the only response he got was terrified knee-shaking. Wes turned away to go up the next platform, but quickly turned around and yelled one word.

"BOO!"

The poor grunt yelped and ran past Rui. She gave Wes a puzzled glance.

"He was a scaredy-Liepard." Wes said with a shrug.

They advanced slowly up the stairs to the final platform, apprehensive to see what had happened up here since they were watching the vidscreen back in the lobby. Wes steeled himself, and was greeted with a scary sight.

A man with the Mt. Battle coat of arms on his jacket was standing his ground could only be Area Leader Vander. But who Vander was facing was what made this whole situation make Wes's blood run cold. The other man was a giant, and he was hunched over like a Pangoro. His fiery red hair was like a frozen explosion, standing on its ends. Every muscle on his body stood out.

Vander fixed the man with a cold stare and spoke.

"I'm not giving it to you, ya punk jackass."

"Fine with me." The man grunted. He swung his massive fist and landed it in Vander's gut.

"BYTHETRINITY!" Rui exclaimed. Wes felt his gut throb in sympathy.

The giant turned around, and Wes felt a trill of fear.

 _I hope we survive this._ He thought as he reached for his Pokéball belt.

* * *

 **A/N: So I am in the final days of high school. Getting every thing ready for college was a miserable hassle. Less said 'bout that, the better.**

 **Second, I have been writing a story to make into an E-book. So I have been working on this intermittently with that going on.**

 **Third, work.**

 **Fourth, theater plays.**

 **I also feel that maybe my writing for this chapter isn't quite on par with its predecessors, so I will kindly ask for some feedback from you guys. Note that this will be the only time that I do this. So a helpful review would be nice, 'cause I feel like something isn't right with my writing.**


	15. Chapter 15: The Fire After the Lightning

**And the next chapter arrives, and the suspense has people on the edge of their seats! *dodges flying fruits and vegetables from an irritated audience***

 **Alrightalright, I'll just get to the story!**

 **And Now, Our Feature Presentation!**

* * *

Wes curled his index fingers around the Pokéballs in his hands to stop them from shaking. The big man that stood before him leered at him.

"What's a puny Skrelp like you doin' here?" The man growled. "Who are you anyways? What are my underlings doing?"

"They ran away." Wes spat, his fright turning into fearless sass. He refused to be scared of this guy, because fear meant weakness. And Wes was pretty sure the man could smell fear.

"Good smack talk for a runt." The man growled. "But that outfit of yours fits the description that Skrub gave me of a trouble-maker in Agate. That wouldn't be you, would it?"

"Maybe. Whatcha gonna do about?" Wes asked as he released Leveche and Quilava onto the platform.

Dakim roared with laughter as he took two Pokéballs off of a necklace around his neck. Wes watched as Rui silently crept around the edge of the platform to get near the comatose Vander behind the giant man. She nodded and made a motion to keep talking, and Wes slightly nodded.

"Don't make me laugh, Skrelp!" He roared. "I will pound a lesson into your bones and flesh, so you never interfere with Cipher again!"

Wes quelled any feelings he had about that statement to evaluate the field of battle. Dakim had sent out a Metang and a Marshtomp, so he had a good advantage and neutral one. Leveche would have to keep Marshtomp busy to let Quilava do its work.

 _No wait. Quilava's not an IT. But now's not the time to worry about that._ Wes thought.

"Leveche, Psychic on Marshtomp. Quilava, turn that Metang into slag!"

Dakim roared something to his Pokémon in turn, and the platform seemed to shudder with the ferocity of the colliding attacks. Quilava's flames went from orange to white-yellow as it slammed into the Metang. A horrible screech came from the metal Pokémon, and Quilava staggered away. Leveche was keeping the Marshtomp very busy, using Psychic to disorient and make the Pokémon trip whenever it tried to aim an attack at Quilava. The Water-type stumbled and groaned as it tried to reorient itself. Leveche immediately dodged a Mud Shot attack that the Marshtomp directed her way, and Wes briefly flicked his eyes over to behind Dakim.

Rui had managed to get to Vander, and was currently trying to drag him into the building behind the platform. Wes turned back to the battle, and called out to Quilava to use Flame Wheel to smack the Metang away from Leveche as she was busy dealing with the Marshtomp.

Wes felt his mind settle, and the rush of battle seemed to slow down. He could track all of the movements on the field, and was able to distinguish Marshtomp preparing to spew mud and water at Quilava.

"DODGE!" Wes yelled, and Quilava jumped back from Metang to avoid the coming attack…

…which then never happened as Marshtomp swiveled its head and hit Leveche square in the chest as the Espeon charged forward. Wes yelped as an unconscious backlash of pain was mentally broadcasted from his Pokémon, but the Marshtomp apparently got the worst of it. It staggered around before fainting. Wes withdrew Leveche before she could get hurt worse, and sent out Makuhita. The Fighter beat its chest with its hands.

Dakim smirked and threw out a Golem, and it bellowed. Wes's blood ran cold as he recognized the big Pokémon. Golem were infamous for gathering their pre-evolved forms and other Rock-types to create avalanches. One Golem was enough to squish his Pokémon into flatcakes. But Dakim commanded something from his Pokémon, and Wes's blood ran cold.

"EARTHQUAKE AND PROTECT COMBO!" Dakim shouted.

Metang surrounded itself with a greenish ball of light as Golem threw the entirety of its weight on the platform. The platform groaned and splintered in places, some of the force transferring to Wes's Pokémon and knocking them down. Wes barely kept his balance, and the platform began to groan as it listed dangerously. He watched Makuhita begin to slid down the platform.

"NO!" Wes shouted, reaching to his Pokémon to withdraw them. They couldn't take that much and still stand. But to his surprise, they did. And they began to glow.

Makuhita's and Quilava's glow became bright, turning their forms into burning silhouettes. The silhouettes stretched and grew, and the light became too much for Wes to bear. He blocked his eyes, shouting in surprise. He thought he also heard Dakim shout too, but he remembered Leveche and Harmatten going through the same process.

This was Evolution.

He unshielded his eyes as the glow died down. Where his Pokémon had stood, a Typhlosion and Hariyama were. His Pokémon had gone through evolution, and Wes smiled as they both looked at the two opponents in front of them.

"Get 'em!" Wes yelled, watching with pride as the Typhlosion barreled into Metang with a whirlwind of fire. Hariyama went after Golem, who rolled this way and that to avoid the now giant Fighter. Soon Metang was no longer able to battle, and Wes withdrew the exhausted Typhlosion. He sent out Harmatten, and Golem soon was no more with a smack of Hariyama's palms. He switched out Hariyama for Meditite, and he was prepared to face the last of Dakim's Pokémon. He grinned, but the grin fell when he saw Dakim was smiling back with feral edge to his grin.

"You think you won, don't you?" The giant, muscle-bound man cackled. He took the last two Pokéballs off his necklace and thumbed the buttons. Wes felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead. What else could this man have up his sleeve, to be on his last Pokémon and still sure of his victory?

"Maybe. Two against one is hardly fair to the one." Wes said, sounding far more confident than he felt at the moment.

Dakim's grin turned into a sneer, and he threw his last two Pokémon out. One was a hardy Camerupt with heavy-lidded eyes. It grunted and maneuvered its heavy bulk into a battle stance, the miniature calderas it had on its back spewing a small amount of smoke. Wes didn't know what the other Pokémon was though.

It was massive. Wes didn't even come up to its shoulder, and Wes didn't think he was short. Dakim would have to reach to pat its shaggy back. It face had two bony looking plates, one red and one grey. Its brown shaggy fur seemed to glow in the light of day.

He saw Rui on the other side of the platform, behind Dakim. She was staring at it with an expression of horror and awe. She said something, but Wes lost it to the howling winds of Mt. Battle. He nodded at Harmatten, who nodded back.

"Use Crunch and Hi Jump Kick!" Wes said, crossing his arms to point at the intended targets. Meditite rushed forward to kick the unknown Pokémon, and Harmatten dodged flaming balls that came from Dakim's Camerupt. One ball exploded on Harmatten's shoulder, but the hardy Dark-type shook it off. Meditite's kick had been aborted after the unknown Pokémon had tried to bite its foot off. Meditite retreated, but the giant beast lunged forward as its body glowed with black energy. Meditite stood and took the blow like a Fighter, but staggered afterwards. Wes then suddenly felt hands grab his arm.

"Wes, listen to me!" Rui whispered in his ear. "You have to get Entei back from those monsters!"

"Entei?" Wes mumbled. He was still keeping track of the battle, and couldn't quite fathom how Rui got over to him that quickly.

"Yes! It's a Shadow Pokémon, and you need to catch it!" She said, her tone hard with anger.

Wes scowled at the Rui's vagueness and flicked the machine on. Meditite scampered out of the way of another of Entei's attacks.

"Hi Jump Up!" Wes yelled. Meditite used the attack to launch itself into the air and brought down its feet on Entei's head like hammer. But the beast only shook its head and roared its defiance. Harmatten was doing his best to harry the Camerupt, but Wes could see Harmatten's fur was ruffled with burns.

Dakim called for his Pokémon to switch, and Wes threw all caution to the wind.

"Both of you attack Camerupt!" He commanded. "It's weaker!"

Meditite's eyes were glowing with emotion as it slammed into Camerupt's side with a dark energy attack. Camerupt bellowed and stomped on the platform, causing it to list to one side again. Wes felt Rui grab his arm as he braced his feet to keep from falling. Harmatten had the sense to brace himself too, but the Earthquake attack sent the Umbreon flying instead. Harmatten managed to turn himself to jump off the surface he landed on, and immediately bounced off of the platform and launched himself at Camerupt. Entei roared and attempted to catch one of Wes's Pokémon. Meditite cried out as Entei's Fire Fang attack sank into its arm, but used the chance to punch the beast in the face with a fist of dark energy. Harmatten scrambled on the Camerupt's back, using Crunch to distract it from the other two. Entei dropped Meditite, who cried out and began to cradle its bitten arm. It began to sway on its feet and Wes withdrew it before it fainted and got stomped on by an advancing Entei.

 _Who can fight now?_ Wes thought. He quickly checked the Pokéballs, and Leveche's Pokéball showed that she was fine. No serious injuries like he thought had happened earlier.

He heard a Pokéball pop open, and witnessed Rui's Pidgeotto begin to Peck at Entei. The beast roared and tried to swat the Bird Pokémon, but by that time Wes had switched Leveche in and commanded her to use Return on the Camerupt. Camerupt bellowed and attempted another Earthquake, but Dakim roared at it to use Overheat instead.

"GET BACK!" Wes roared, and his two Pokémon leapt away. He felt the Snag machine vibrate, and he slipped an Ultra Ball into his hand as the Camerupt unleashed a wave of heat.

Harmatten and Leveche staggered, the Fire attack making the ends of their fur begin to curl from heat. But they escaped the most of the damage. The platform began to groan, several panels popping and warping from the excess heat. Wes could see Entei bask in the fire, and he took his chance.

He threw the ball, but it burst as it sailed into the fire. He cursed and fumbled for another ball. Rui was looking up at the sky, and called Pidgeotto down when the attack ended. Dakim grinned from across the field.

"Can't you see the power that I possess?" He said. "I control fire itself! It's useless!"

"No it ain't!" Wes yelled, flinging another Ultra Ball at Entei. Dakim looked confused, until the Pokéball sucked the beast inside its confines.

"NO!" Dakim roared. "CAMERUPT!"

Camerupt began smashing its feet on the platform. Wes, Rui, and the Pokémon staggered and tried to keep their balance. Leveche looked over at her brother, and the two felines leapt. Leveche used Return and Harmatten used Secret Power, and Camerupt bellowed as they threw the attacks at it. The Fire-type staggered, and fell as it lost consciousness. Entei broke from the Ultra Ball, but Wes immediately threw another one. It bounced and landed on the platform.

It shook once…

…twice…

…and clicked.

Dakim's face was purely murderous. Wes withdrew his friends to let them rest and walked to the Pokéball in the center of the platform.

"You will regret this!" Dakim growled.

"Maybe," Wes said. "But I won, and my friend over there has perfectly healthy Pokémon that like roasted giant. So leave."

Rui did her best to look intimidating. Dakim glanced at her, then gritted his teeth. Wes wasn't wrong about his advantage.

"FINE!" Dakim snarled. "But I'll remember you, and I will grind your body into a pulp next time I see you. But I must retreat for now."

Dakim leapt off the platform, and Wes and Rui ran to the edge to see the Cipher grunts and their leader fly off on Fearows. Wes could almost feel Dakim's hateful glare from here as the flock disappeared behind a cloud of ash.

The threat of danger now past, Wes could feel he knees begin to quiver. He sat down on the platform before he fell over, and put his head between his knees.

 _So many things could have gone wrong._ Wes thought to himself. _Entei could have stepped on someone. I could have given a bad command. One of my Pokémon could have died. We could have fallen off the platform. Holy shit we were lucky._

He sat there, thinking about what could have gone wrong. He didn't notice it, but sometime in there Rui had begun to rub a circle on his back. The soothing feeling brought Wes back to the present, and he looked at Rui and raised his eyebrows.

She shrugged. He shook his head and they both went into the transfer station of Area 1 of Mt. Battle.

* * *

Vander was, in Wes's opinion, a lucky bastard.

Dakim's punch only cracked one rib and gave the Area Leader a massive bruise on his stomach. But Vander just gritted his teeth and stood against the pain as he addressed them.

"You were reckless, but you still won. You were lucky." Vander said.

Wes nodded. "I don't doubt that. You going to be okay?"

Vander nodded. "Took worse as I trained up my Pokémon. Once I took a punch from a Machoke, nearly broke half my ribs with that feat."

"You're a tough man."

Vander laughed, wincing a little. The nurse gave him the evil eye.

"You hurt yourself, I'm not patching you back up." She growled.

"Right…" Vander said. "So are you folks up to staying the night here?"

"Nah," Wes said. "We have a place to go. What was so important to earn you a punch in the gut?"

Vander grinned. "You're a nomad. Heard the tale of Weskel leading the Farth to Orre?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"I have the pipe that he used to appease Celebi in the story. It said to call to the spirit of the forests of Orre."

"Orre has forests?" Rui said, "I never would have guessed."

"That's not important." Wes interrupted. "But the Time Flute? You have it?"

"The Area Leaders take turns guarding for the Boss at the summit. He wants to keep it safe so he can be friends with the nomads someday. Funny for the man to want peace in a region like this."

Wes grinned. Funny for certain, because this place was never peaceful, not with people having to fight to survive in the dry deserts. But the Time Flute could potentially reverse that, and the nomads would want to keep it somewhere safe. Wes looked up, and caught Vander staring at him.

"What?" Wes asked.

Vander grinned. "This idea of mine sounds crazy, and the Boss won't like it. But I want you to take this Time Flute with you."

Wes did a double take.

"What?" Both he and Rui said.

"Take it. It would be safer in your hands than mine, and perhaps you can get some use out of it?" Vander explained.

"But it's important!" Rui said. "Nevertheless, Celebi may harm us if we take it selfishly or we break it."

"I'm more concerned about others stealing it." Wes said. "I think we'll take it with us, and see what happens from there."

"Great!" Vander said. "Now what are you going to do?"

Wes and Rui looked at each other.

"I think we'll go back to Agate Village." Wes said. "I feel like I need a good, long nap."

* * *

Mt. Battle's ash that had covered the sky upon their arrival now had blown away, revealing a waning moon that made the night as bright as day. Wes and Rui had made it back to the bike when Rui tugged on Wes's sleeve.

"What?"

"What's going to happen to Entei?" Rui asked. "You wouldn't try to use him in battle, would you?"

"Depends." Wes said. "Seems to be the only way to help the Shadow Pokémon remember what they once were."

Rui only grimaced and looked at the moon that hung in the sky. Wes felt irritated all of a sudden, like Rui was not telling him something.

"Is there something wrong with doing that?" Wes asked. "It's just a Pokémon that needs our help, like the rest of them."

"But Entei is a Legendary Pokémon, a servant of the gods. He is somewhat of a god himself." Rui said.

"Gods can't be caught in Pokéballs."

"But this one was, and the door to his heart closed!" Rui said concernedly. "What is Cipher doing, turning Legendary Pokémon into their minions? What could their plan be?"

A long pause was held between the two. Then Wes realized the problem.

"You have some special connection, don't you? Do people in Johto worship Entei?"

"We respect him as one of Ho-oh's sacred messengers. He revived three nameless Pokémon after they perished in a fire that burned the temple they were in, and they became the Sun's messengers."

"Who?" Wes asked. He hated speaking about legends sometimes, confusing and conflicting as they were.

"Entei, Raikou, and Suicune. Raikou is the lightning, Entei the fire from the lightning, and Suicune the rain that quenched the fires of war. Together they race across the land to do Ho-oh's bidding." Rui explained. "The fact that Entei is a Shadow Pokémon is bad. Very bad."

Wes sighed. One problem dealt with, another shows its face.

"We can worry about it a little later. For now, we should just head back and rest." He said, patting Rui's shoulder.

 _And hopefully having Entei with us doesn't bring us bad luck._

* * *

 **A/N: Fun fact, the battle itself took up five pages. Normal chapters are usually seven pages.**

 **So what will our favorite duo encounter next? I don't know, but I do know that this story has now hit the halfway mark! *does a little dance of happiness***


	16. Chapter 16: The Revolution Begins

**We come to our latest installment of this wonderful story! Enjoy, and keep the rotten produce to yourselves.**

 **And Now, Our Feature Presentation!**

* * *

Wes wasn't prepared to see the large gathering of people waiting for him and Rui when they got back from Mt. Battle. They had trudged over the bridge, tired after their day, when Rui's grandfather approached. Wes watched as he looked them over with a worried eye.

"You're not hurt?" Eagun asked.

"No." Wes said slowly.

"I'm not hurt either." Rui said, smiling. "Grandpa, give us just a little more credit than that."

Eagun chuckled. "I know, but it does my old heart good to see you unharmed. Especially after you confronted those vicious people."

"Now that we've made sure we're unharmed," Wes said, before anyone else could speak. "May we find a place to sleep? I'm pretty tired."

Eagun did laugh, as did the rest of the gathered villagers. Wes didn't see what was so funny, but Rui grinned.

"Come on." Rui said, taking Wes's hand and leading him into the village. "The Pokémon Center will let us stay there overnight. And the beds are sooooo comfy!"

Wes rolled his eyes and quashed the nervous twang he felt when Rui led him to the Pokémon Center.

* * *

The weeks after Mt. Battle were slow. Wes spent it teaching Rui and a handful of others that wished to learn how to battle. The other part was spent on the remaining Shadow Pokémon and purifying them.

One afternoon, Wes was lazing about the waterfall near the top of the village. Out of curiosity, he began tossing some of the Pokéballs on his belt between his hands. He tossed the current ball too hard, and it smacked his left palm, sending a jolt up his arm. The wound had healed by now, but the scar there still pained him if he wasn't careful. The Pokéball rolled away as Wes nursed his hand, and a little screen popped open on the side of the ball.

"Dammit…" Wes growled under his breath, and then noticed the Pokéball. He picked it up and examined the screen

 _Typhlosion. Female. No other designation added. Calm nature._

Wes was stunned. The Pokéball knew more about Typhlosion than he did, except that liking to eat part. But he hadn't been able to determine any gender before. He tried tapping on the screen, and a keyboard showed up on the screen.

 _Enter designation?_ The screen read.

Wes thought. He had tried discussing a name with Typhlosion a few days ago. He pressed the release button, and the Fire-type gave Wes a critical look. She apparently didn't like being near water.

"Do you want a name?" Wes asked her.

Typhlosion seemed to give it some thought. Finally she nodded.

"I think I will name you after the hot wind that brings rain to the northern land. I'll name you Sirocca, if you like."

Typhlosion perked up at the name and chirped her agreement. Wes grinned and typed the name into the Pokéball. A small chime let Wes know that what he typed in was accepted.

Soon, Sirocca was joined by Buster the Hariyama. Then by Shamal the Meditite, after he was purified. The little fighter expressed his joy by giving Buster a playful punch, and soon his team was rolling around in an impromptu wrestling match. Leveche shook her head as Harmatten joined the brawl.

 _Why does playing involve bodily harm?_ The purple feline wondered.

Wes shrugged and just watched.

* * *

Wes stared at Entei.

Entei stared at Wes.

The two of them had been at this for a couple of hours now. Wes had tried all he could to be friendly with the big beast, but nothing worked. He caught a whiff of burnt hair, testament to his earlier attempt of getting near Entei. His teeth creaked as he gnashed them in frustration.

Entei huffed and curled up in the forest clearing. Wes had kept most of the Shadow Pokémon stuff out here, near the Relic Stone. People didn't hang around here, and Wes liked to think that the proximity to the purifying stone helped the Shadow Pokémon. But Entei was not cooperating.

Rui came up behind Wes, her boots crunching the twigs.

"What is it?" Wes asked, his voice cracking.

Rui handed him a canteen. "I just came to see what you are doing with Entei. He doesn't seem happy."

Wes ignored the obvious statement and gulped the water down. Rui sat next to him, watching the Legendary Pokémon with sadness.

Wes suddenly had a thought.

"Rui, what do you see?"

"Eh?"

"You can see if Pokémon are Shadow Pokémon. Can you see Entei is different than the others?"

Rui looked at the beast, which seemed to be sleeping. She focused, and the black cloud bloomed into being in her vision. But under that was a deep yellow-orange glow that flickered and beat against the barrier that was the darkness. None of the other Pokémon had their aura like that, made to restrain some other power. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes.

"Yeah, there's something different." Rui said. "Seems like they're not a Shadow Pokémon all the way."

"Eh? How?" Wes asked.

Rui thought. How best to explain this to someone who couldn't See?

"Like the darkness is a cage, restraining the true nature of Entei. Maybe that's as far as they had gotten with Entei. He's miserable anyways."

"That makes some sense." Wes said, offering the canteen to Rui. "He doesn't act like the other Shadows. And needs help."

"How so?"

Wes shrugged. "He doesn't seem mindless. Unlike the other Shadows, he has a nasty temper. And doesn't like commands."

"I can smell that."

"Hardee har. But you're right about the miserable part. Even I can see that."

Rui smirked. After spending time with Wes, his habit for needling people had rubbed off on her. She actually liked it, not being so shy and helpless. But Wes was right. Legendary or not, Entei needed help. She suddenly had a thought.

"Wes, what's so sacred about the flute that Vander gave you?"

Wes thought for a moment. He didn't know exactly, but someone in the village would know. He suddenly had an idea.

"Rui, you wouldn't mind going and asking about it, would you?" Wes asked.

"Not at all! I'll go do that." Rui said, springing to her feet and jogging away.

"Thanks!" Wes called after her.

 _You humans are such a strange bunch._

Wes looked around, and stared at Entei. The beast only had one eye open, regarding Wes. The eye expressed so much anger Wes couldn't help but feel frozen, but there was misery there too. Entei huffed and laid its chin on its crossed paws, giving off the air of disinterest born from constant duress. The beast didn't even want help, it seemed.

Wes scowled, pissed off that his efforts seemed to be in vain.

"You're miserable and want help?!" He shouted, standing up. "You won't even let me get close enough to help you!"

Entei huffed again, and Wes could feel heat emanate from it from where he stood. The beast was looking at him again, the sparkle of suppressed rage in its gaze. Their staring match was cut off when Rui tackled him with a hug.

"ACK! GET OFF!" Wes bellowed, surprised that Rui came out of nowhere. Rui let go of him, but she didn't lose her smile.

"WecanusetheFlute!" She squealed.

"What?"

"One of the old wise ones said that the Flute can summon the deity of the Relic Stone! If the stone can purify Pokémon, then maybe the deity can purify Entei!" Rui exclaimed.

Wes almost wanted to quash the feeling of hope he had rising in his chest, because that was a long shot. "It could be too busy to listen for a pipe."

"We won't know 'til we try."

Wes looked at Entei, who had stood up and looked at him. Wes sighed, for he had tried getting Entei to battle or to except a massage from the case that Wes had bought and filled with lots of scents. They had a calming effect on the Shadow Pokémon, but the Legendary Pokémon had refused any attempt so far.

"Do you want to?" Wes asked Entei. He waited for what seemed like an eternity under the beast's gaze

Finally, Entei nodded.

"Alright, then. We have to go get stuff ready!" Rui exclaimed.

Wes nodded, and then a horrifying thought came to his mind Rui dragged him away to start this experiment.

 _I don't know how to play a flute?!_

* * *

As it turned out, flutes weren't hard to learn how to play. All you did was blow through the little mouthpiece and sound came out. But the young man who showed Wes how said he was horrible at it.

"Good thing I'm not making a living off of my musical talents." Wes grumbled under his breath as he carried the flute with him into the grove.

Rui was waiting with several of the Pokémon, impatiently tapping her foot. Entei was curled up where Wes had left it last. It opened one sleepy eye and stood up, wandering close to the Relic Stone. Wes stood beside it, sudden trepidation causing him to stop not far from the stone.

 _What if it doesn't work?_

 _You don't know until you try._ Leveche whispered in his mind. Wes hesitantly put the flute to his lips and blew.

No sound came out. Wes scowled and tried again. This time a breathy screech came out. Everyone and thing covered their ears. Wes felt embarrassment creep up his cheeks and he doggedly tried again. This time, a note sounded clearly from the pipe. Wes thought and tried one of the fingerings that the young woman taught him. This note wasn't perfect, wobbling like a crooked wagon wheel. Wes switched to another fingering, and the note became lower.

He tried for several minutes, breathy playing coming from the pipe. Wes could feel his lips begin to cramp, and nothing showed up. No glowing Pokémon, no mysterious being came walking from the woods. Wes's frustration turned to anger.

 _I go to all the trouble to learn how to do this, and you won't even show up? What kind of universal joke is this?!_

Finally, Wes stopped playing. Nothing good was going to come from this. He just made a fool out of himself for nothing. Harmatten came up to him and rubbed his face against Wes's thigh, mewing mournfully. Entei just stood there, waiting. Wes carefully listened again, Rui also watching the woods for something to happen.

Nothing happened.

Rui looked at Wes. "Well that was a bust."

Wes growled, and began to stalk away. Who was he to think his awful playing could attract the Relic Stone's deity? He better just suck it up and help Entei the way he had helped all of those others. No mystical magic or wonder would help him. Wes looked at the infernal instrument in his hand and thought how appealing it would be to throw it down onto the floor of the forest.

"Wes?" Rui called.

"What?" He growled

"There's something going on here. I don't know what it is."

The tone of Rui's voice made Wes turn back. A faint sound came to his ears, a sound that was like a small bell. It got louder, and Wes squinted into the depths of the forest. He thought he saw a small ball of light, but the light disappeared.

"Where-" Wes began to say, when the light reappeared and began to circle Entei. The beast closed its eyes and soon everyone present was blinded by a flash. Wes shielded his eyes and tried to see what was going on, but he couldn't look without needing welding googles. So he waited.

A roar erupted from the light, and the light died down to reveal Entei and a small, delicate creature that hovered with tiny wings in front of the beast. It placed its tiny hands on Entei's face, and its large eyes closed too.

Wes was awestruck. Gobbsmacked, in fact.

 _Close your mouth before you swallow something bad._ Leveche tittered. Harmatten only leaned against Wes's leg.

"Celebi." Rui breathed, reaching out to the little creature.

It chittered, circled them, and flew away. Entei faced them, a fierce look in its eye. It nodded, then bounded away.

"Wha- HEY! COME BACK HERE!" Wes shouted.

"Wes, let him go." Rui said. "It's no use. Entei's long gone now."

"Frickin' ingrate." Wes growled. "After all we did…"

Rui patted his shoulder. "I think it will be okay."

Wes opened his mouth to argue, but Harmatten leaned closer and caught his gaze. The little black feline blinked slowly, red eyes conveying some thought Wes couldn't read. But he could almost hear a voice that he imagined that was Harmatten.

 _Trust fate to weave itself._

Wes looked at Leveche. The purple feline only sent a wave of resigned amusement through his mind.

"Fine," Wes sighed. "but we better figure out where to strike next."

They left the clearing, not noticing the Relic Stone glowing a faint green.

* * *

Wes was just waiting in the Pokémon center for his Pokémon when a call in the navigation device pinged. He looked at it.

 _Hey Wes, it's Duking. I got a call from Rui asking about any "suspicious activity" in Pyrite since ya guys have been here. She gave the number for yer device so I could contact ya. Anyway my kids have been talking to some of the folk from the Under, and they said that Cipher runs everything down there. The Colosseum, everything. I don't know what exactly is going on down there, but it might be some of the "suspicious activity" ya guys were looking for._

 _-Duking Frankel_

 _P.S. If you need more trainers, people are volunteering left and right in Pyrite to help. Good luck to ya._

Wes re-read the message several times before he began to really believe what he read. And he smiled. Shamal gave Wes an inquisitive look from the Pokémon Center bench.

"The revolution is beginning." Wes whispered to the Fighter.

 _And we will win, come storm or drought._

* * *

 **A/N: So that was impressive. Considering my tardiness, I'm impressed I got this done before college started.**

 **If you guys want to talk Pokemon, or need help writing, or even bouncing ideas for stories around, my PM box is always open.**

 **Stay cool, those of you unfortunate enough to be living in America's Sun Belt or other places where it's currently unbearably hot.**

 ***finger guns away and runs* See you next chapter!**


	17. Chapter 17: To the Under

**Folks, she's done! I apologize for my tardiness, because finding the time to do this in a timely manner was difficult. However, since some of this was written when I was barely awake, can you readers be so kind as to point out any errors? Just leave it in the Review box if you would please.**

 **And Now, Our Feature Presentation!**

* * *

"I can't believe Duking decided to fight back!" Rui exclaimed when they headed back for Pyrite. "He wouldn't before!"

"Yeah, makes me wonder what the heck is goin' on." Wes said, his goggles shielding his eyes from the glare of the sun and sandy winds. Rui was wearing his welding goggles, and Wes couldn't help but laugh as she adjusted them again.

"Are you still giggling about that?!" Rui huffed.

"No, I'm _chuckling._ Men don't giggle, it's beneath our manliness." Wes replied, his tone miffed. "You can adjust 'em, you know."

"Where?" Rui demanded.

"On the back." Wes said, tapping the buckle on the back. Rui finally got the goggles to sit right, and they drove in comfortable silence for a few miles.

"Still, must be dire if Duking is now just involving himself." Rui said.

"Maybe, maybe not. But one thing is for sure, we might be getting to the bottom of this Cipher problem soon. Unless it's bigger than I think it is."

"There's a scary thought." Rui said, hugging her knees to her chest. "I might not be safe in Johto after this is over."

Wes inwardly cringed at the thought of Rui getting hurt or being kidnapped again. She was better at battling than before, but still was only grasping the basics. And he couldn't follow her everywhere; that would be both creepy and a little disconcerting to not just Rui. Wes quashed the morose thoughts and focused on driving. He felt no need to make things awkward. Or to acknowledge things he was in no mood to.

"Maybe disappearing for a little while before going back home would be a good idea." Wes gruffly answered.

"Yeah." Rui sighed. "But this place kinda grows on you, doesn't it?"

Wes smiled bitterly.

"It might."

* * *

Pyrite, for once in Wes's memory, was lively. Not holiday busy, but bustling busy. Nomads were selling goods, townspeople walked by, and even unsavory folk left their usual doings behind and joined the river of people. Rui grabbed his coat sleeve as they walked through the crowds.

"Watch it!" Wes hissed as he felt his coat sleeve strain. "You'll rip my coat!"

"I don't want to get lost!" Rui hissed back. "And besides, we'll find Duking faster if we both look!"

"I got a better idea." Wes shouted as they went by a noisy stall. "You check Duking's office, and I'll check the Colosseum! Those are the only two places that he would really be at the moment!"

"WHAT?" Rui shouted. "I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"GO TO DUKING'S OFFICE!" Wes roared. "I'LL MEET YOU THERE LATER!"

"OK!" Rui shouted and ran off. Wes shouldered his way past some giggling women and walked across Duel Square. No battles were taking place in the ring, only people running around. He could barely see through the crowds.

"'Scuse me, outta the way." Wes murmured as he applied judicious jabs of his elbows and some shoves. People only murmured back and finally Wes popped out of the crowds.

And almost over the edge of the canyon.

"SHIIIIIT!" Wes yelped as he windmilled his arms to stop his fall. He jumped back and flopped to the ground.

"Too close!" He panted, checking himself for lost items and injuries. Not even his team had been poked at in the inside pockets of his coat. He looked up, finding the old bridge and the Pyrite Colosseum looming over him. Workers were placing new metal sheets over some places where holes used to be on his last visit. The glare was excruciating in the harsh light of Orre.

"Duking's gotta be there." Wes huffed, getting up and heading for the bridge.

Wes walked into the Colosseum, only to avoid construction workers and people running about with building supplies. His head was spinning as he made his way through the building, looking for the giant Colosseum boss. Finally, he found Duking in the arena directing workers to where they were needed. The man spotted Wes and moved through the crowd to greet him.

"WES! GOOD TO SEE YA!" Duking shouted, gathering Wes up in a hug. "I THOUGHT THOSE CIPHER FELLAS DID YOU AND THE GIRL IN! BUT YOU'RE ALIVE!"

"Duking, put me down!" Wes growled. "You're gonna crush me!"

"Oh, sorry." Duking said, setting him down and brushing him off for good measure. They were in the stands of the Colosseum, specifically Duking's spectator box.

"So you said something about Cipher and the Under in the message. What's that mean?" Wes asked.

Duking sighed. "It's a long story. Basically the Under is still controlled by Cipher, but they aren't using the normal entrance into town."

"Here? Is the Under some weird place that's part of Pyrite?" Wes asked. Pyrite was only so big.

Duking shook his head as he leaned back on the railing of the box. "It's an old mining town at the bottom of the canyon. Place still brings out enough to support itself, but the place is really famous for its black markets. People come from all around the world to see what's there."

"They sell everything?" Wes asked, not liking where this was going.

"Everything. But we've been watching the entrance, and no one has been going in or out." Duking explained. "It's got the police scratching their heads."

"Pyrite has police?" Wes asked. He never saw a lick of law enforcement in the town before.

"Just old Chief Sherles and Johnson. They are the only ones' that managed to survive for this long."

Wes idly scratched his chin. "Any clues about where they could be getting in?"

"With the influx of people deciding that Pyrite is safe again to sell stuff, I couldn't tell you a thing."

Wes brushed his hands on his belt and Pokéballs. He glanced down at them, and the spark of an idea flickered. He smiled.

"The chase is on." Wes muttered.

"What now?" Duking asked.

Wes grinned and shook his head. "Just a plan. It might work, but I'm gonna need some help."

* * *

Rui had let her Pidgeotto out of his Pokéball to stretch his wings, and decided to let Swinub out as well. She picked up the little snuffler.

"Wow, you're getting heavy!" Rui exclaimed to Swinub. "I wonder if you're going to evolve soon."

Swinub huffed and began to sniff at the air. Rui rolled her eyes and began her walk through the busy streets. She was glad she left her bag in the bike, as she felt more than one hand search her outside pockets for things. A couple of times she idly kicked someone in the shin as they got too close to her. Swinub suddenly lunged and the man next to her yelped.

"Good boy." Rui muttered as she hastened away. Swinub only wuffed in response.

"Miss Rui!"

Rui turned around to see a young girl running up to her. The girl caught up.

"Do I know you?" Rui asked, kneeling down to the girl's height.

"I'm Duking's daughter Marcia. You helped Dad run out Cipher a couple a' week ago." The girl replied.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Rui exclaimed. "I should have recognized you!"

"It's ok." Marcia said. "It's useful for people to not recognize people."

"True." Said Rui. "I was just trying to find Duking's house and talk to him if he's there."

"Dad's working, but Secc and I could probably help you."

Rui raised an eyebrow. Marcia was probably not even a teen yet, but she could help? And if she could, then she would be in danger.

"I'm not so sure…"

Marcia rolled hereyes and grabbed Rui's hand, leading her towards Duking's home.

"Trust me." Marcia said mysteriously.

* * *

"Are you serious?" Duking said. "All you need is information?"

"I don't like risking myself and my Pokémon without knowing what in Landorus's name is going on." Wes said, his hands finding their way into his pockets. "We can't go in blind in the Under."

"You get killed for sure." Duking said with a grimace. "And right now you seem to be the only one to combat Cipher. Not very promising."

"Exactly." Wes said. "Unless you got some resource I haven't heard of, I'm grounded for the moment."

Duking nodded. "Well, not much we can do right now." The brawny man sighed. "I'm done here for today. Wanna come back to my house? It beats staying in an overcrowded hotel."

"Not this many people usually?" Wes asked.

"Nomads now don't have to pay exorbitant entrance fees to get into town." Duking replied as they walked out of the Colosseum. "Market day might be a thing here again."

Wes chuckled and followed Duking through the streets to his home. An aroma of delicious scent wafted through the air, and Wes grinned. He fingered the Pokéballs on his belt, wanting to give his Pokémon time to wander around. But the street was too small to let them all out.

 _Maybe I'll sneak out to the edge of town later. They need practice anyways._ Wes thought. _But I'll let Meditite and Harmatten out for now._

In two flashes, Harmatten and Meditite were jogging alongside their trainer. Meditite even gave a small happy sound, which was a first. Wes grinned and patted the little Fighter's head.

"Doesn't happen much, does it?" Duking said unexpectedly.

"Eh?"

"I remember seeing that one battling in Duel Square once. Blankest thing I'd ever seen. But whatever you've been doing been improving its mood. Got any idea how it happened?"

Wes thought back to the binder he and Rui found, which was now somewhere in the bike's storage compartment.

"Not really. Lot of science-y crap I wouldn't touch with a stick." Wes growled. "But it's not natural for sure."

"Yep." Duking said as he stopped in front of a door. Wes went to open it, but Duking held up a hand.

"I will issue a warning." The man said. "My kids bring random Pokémon home. Nothing dangerous, but the house is a mess. Watch your step."

"Gotcha." Wes affirmed. Duking grinned and opened the door.

 _A mess was an understatement._ Wes thought as he and his Pokémon walked through the door.

Two kids were running around, chasing a familiar Plusle and an angry Swinub. Rui was frantically trying to get a Cacnea down from the table without touching its sharp thorns. Papers and sand sprinkled the floor. A bookcase was shaking in one corner, looking ready to fall. Something else squished under Wes's boot, and he prayed that he stepped on something of non-organic origin. Meditite, not one to emote regularly, calmly climbed up Wes's leg and soon was out of harm's way on his shoulders. Harmatten looked at the moving kids and Pokémon and looked up at Wes. He knew the Umbreon's look.

"Don't look at me, they're not my kids." Wes said with a shrug as he gingerly stepped into the room.

"Wes?" Rui asked. "Can you be helpful and grab this little monster? You've got gloves."

Wes sighed and shook his head, a small smile forming on his face.

"Can't do anything without me, can you?" He said under his breath.

"What?"

"Nothing." Wes replied, carefully picking up the Cacnea and setting it on the chair. The little Grass-type made a sound and tried to hug his arm, but Meditite hissed at it from its perch.

"Possessive, isn't he?" Rui said, scratching behind Meditite's ear.

"How can you even tell?" Wes asked.

"Just gotta pay attention is all." Rui said. "Find anything useful?"

"Duking and I agreed to find more info before charging into the Under." Wes said as he swept crumbs and debris from the table into his hand. "I don't want any one of us getting killed down there."

"Really?" Rui said. "Well then, we've come to the right place."

"We have?" Wes and Duking said at the same time.

Duking scratched his hair. "I think I would remember if I left information like that lying around."

"You don't, Dad."

The adults all turned around. Marcia had abandoned her scurrying around after the wayward Plusle and Swinub. She regarded them all with a determined eye. Duking gazed down at his daughter, and Wes could feel a scolding on the verge of breaking forth.

"How do you have this info, Marcia?" Duking asked quietly.

Marcia squared her shoulders. "Secc and I have been talkin' to a group. They live in the Under, and don't like what happens down there. We've been talking back and forth for a while now. We call ourselves the Kid's Grid, because all of us are kids-"

"Marcia, answer my question please." Duking asked. "What do you know?"

Wes looked at Rui. She was watching the two closely, her eyes slightly blank. Harmatten leaned on her, watching with the same intensity. Wes couldn't see what they could, and he felt all the hairs rise on his neck.

"There's a lady in charge down there. She's called Lady Venus. She runs a lot of stuff down there." Marcia answered. "She also gets final say over something, but the other kids can't figure out what it is."

"Also," piped up Secc, holding Plusle in a solid hug. "Things are kinda bad down there too. For some reason people and Pokémon down there is getting violent, and others are getting hurt too. Venus's having a hard time keeping everyone under control."

Duking looked at his two children with an unfathomable expression. Marcia turned to Wes.

"The police chief would know more. He has people and Pokémon down there too." She said. "But watch out for Johnson, he'll try to turn you away."

Wes nodded. Harmatten came over, and Meditite climbed down from Wes to regard him.

"I'll see what I can do, Marcia." Wes said. "No one else'll be hurt. Can you tell us where would find these other Kid's Grid kids and the police chief?"

"Sherles's office is on the left of the main road. Has wanted posters all over the wall." Duking said. "You'll have to find a different way into the Under on your own."

"Got it." Wes and Rui answered.

Secc and Marcia turned to Duking. He was smiling a little, instead of the angry scowl Wes thought he might have.

"Dad, are you mad at us?" Secc asked. "I mean, maybe we shoulda told you…"

"But you didn't." said Duking.

"Yeah, but it was to keep the other kids safe." Secc said. "So lying isn't always so bad, is it?"

Wes was surprised at the kid's guts. But he was even more surprised when Duking knelt down and hugged his children.

"That's a good lesson to learn, son." The big man said gruffly. "But only if you are protecting what you hold dear. I'm proud of you both."

Marcia and Secc looked at each other, and grinned. Wes looked over at Rui, and he felt a grin grow on his face.

"Situation defused." Rui whispered. Harmatten let out a small noise of agreement.

Wes nodded. But now there was one more thing that needed to be known.

"Hey kids."

Secc and Marcia looked at Wes.

"You want to tell me what you know?"

* * *

There was one guard. One guard.

"You gotta be jokin'." Wes growled.

One guard stood between the only connection between the cesspit that was the Under and the upper reaches of the canyon. The elevator shaft led down several hundred feet to the bottom of the canyon. All of it was housed under the very building that Wes and Rui had cleared of Miror B.'s hired hands.

Wes looked at Meditite and Harmatten. The unspoken question of readiness was answered with nods from his Pokemon.

Without a sound, Wes and his Pokémon slipped out from behind the pile of debris. The guard didn't even look, and Wes put himself in the best vantage point. He made a small cough.

"Eh?" The guard, a short woman with windburned skin and dull hair, turned. Her eyes widened as her hands scrambled for the Pokéballs hanging from her belt.

"Shit!" She cursed, flicking the two buttons. A Vibrava and a Phanphy flashed into being, already in battle stances.

"Go!" Wes yelled. Meditite and Harmatten rushed forward.

"Show 'em no mercy!" The guard screeched.

Her Vibrava buzzed, opening its mouth. Wes saw it begin to glow.

"Harmatten!" He barked.

Harmatten growled and launched himself at the buzzing Pokémon. Vibrava began to flit out of the way, and a chase began. Wes turned his attention away for a second, confident one of his oldest Pokémon could handle himself. He saw Meditite get smacked with the powerful trunk of Phanphy, tumbling out and away to give himself distance.

"Use Hi Jump Kick!" Wes growled, shutting everything else out.

Meditite growled and jumped for the Phanphy, his feet beginning to glow with orange energy. Phanphy ducked, but Meditite spun and kicked out. The blow glanced off the Pokémon, making it trumpet in anger. Wes whistled as shrill note, and Meditite landed and resumed his attack. Harmatten ran close by, Vibrava doing its best to land an attack or two. Wes caught the scent of singed fur. He whistled again, and the two Pokémon changed tactics.

Vibrava would have hit Harmatten with a Bug Buzz attack, but instead found itself tumbling through the air as Meditite clung to it. Meditite used his momentum to land a devastating kick to Vibrava's thorax, with stunned the buzzing Pokémon. Harmatten had begun to harry Phanphy, taking some hits as he fought back. With a snarl, Harmatten lunged and used Crunch to toss the hapless pachyderm against the wall. It didn't get back up.

"Harmatten, go help Meditite!" Wes said, watching the guard. She recalled her fainted Pokémon, and began to run back to the elevator. Wes chased her, catching her before she could get away.

"Lemme go!" The guard howled. "You didn't even read me my rights!"

Wes snorted. "Since when did Orre have law-abiding citizens? I'll give you one chance to hand over the walkie talkie in your pocket and recall your Vibrava. You're not gonna win anyways."

"Hell no! Venus'd have my head for that?!" The guard screeched. "She's more powerful than you'd ever be!"

"Maybe so." Wes said, leaning close. "But I'm a closer threat than Venus. Choose the frying pan or the fire."

The guard growled, and shoved the walkie-talkie in Wes's hand and tapped the button on Vibrava's Pokéball. It was sucked in with a flash of red light.

"Now what?" The guard begrudgingly asked.

You're gonna go to the police station, and you're gonna sit in a cell for a few days." Wes said. "If you don't, I'll hear about it."

The guard grumbled, and Wes summoned every ounce of fury he had.

"GOT IT?" He hissed.

The guard blanched and ran for the door, all sense of duty forgotten. Rui can in as the guard left, holding Swinub and a very bouncy Plusle. Wes raised his eyebrows.

"Duking said that she would like to help us." Rui said, holding the Cheering Pokémon in front of Wes. "Can you really say no to such a cutie?"

"Yes."

"Liar." Rui said. "I found out all I could from the goons in the jail. They're the same women that beat up Silva. They told me all they were willing to share, and the police chief gave me the stuff that they had on them. I only took the key and two binders that are like the one we found upstairs."

Wes spotted the gray binders, and grabbed one.

"This is the one we found." Wes murmured. "What about the other one?"

"We'll read it later." Rui said, plucking the binder out of Wes's grasp. "Right now we need to get to the Under."

Wes looked at the old mining elevator that was their way down. The platform looked like it was barely staying together with solders and welds holing the metal floor together. He looked at Harmatten and Meditite, who both seemed doubtful of the safety of elevator.

 _This will be fun. Maybe we might not die before we reach our goal._ Wes thought sarcastically.

* * *

 **A/N: Holy handbaskets, it's done.**

 **Again, sorry. I've been running around the college campus for classes, marching band, and things I forgot in other classes. Not a lot of time to write, but I managed.**

 **Thoughts? Concerns? Rotten tomatoes to throw at a tardy author?**

 **Also, who has seen the trailers for Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon?**


	18. Chapter 18: Under Seige

***dramatic bow* By Ho-oh's tail feathers! It is here! A new chapter for all my faithful readers!**

 **And Now, Our Feature Presentation!**

* * *

The elevator stopped with a loud screech and lurched. Wes steadied himself, and withdrew his Pokémon before anyone saw them or paid any attention to him and Rui. Rui cautiously looked out of the elevator shaft, and made a small gasping noise.

"What is it?" Wes whispered. "Cipher?"

"No." Rui whispered back. "Come look."

Wes looked out of the elevator shaft and out into the Under. And it took his breath away, but not for any good reason.

The smell of mining permeated the air, making Wes's eyes begin to tear up. Neon lights flashed and blinked, making his eyes hurt. The street was filled with people of all criminal stripes in front of them. Other unsavory smells and noise came from the underground city. Beneath all of the noise, Wes and Rui could both feel a distinct hum of something beneath their feet, and smoke and steam from the streets rose, obscuring what little natural light filtered down from above the canyon.

"We need a plan." Wes whispered. "I don't think we'll be recognized if we go out there, but you never know, with our luck.

"Just try to find our way around?" Rui said. "We'll probably stumble upon something?"

Wes shook his head. "Too dangerous. We probably are high enough on Cipher's list for them to kill us now. No."

Rui sighed, putting her hands in her pockets. Wes motioned for them to move, and reached for his Pokéballs. Meditite flashed into existence.

"Keh?" Meditite chirped.

Wes motioned to his side, and the little Fighter stayed close. Rui smiled when she saw Meditite at Wes's side, her hands still tucked away in her pockets.

"What?" Wes grumbled.

"She's almost ready to be purified." Rui said, giving Meditite that same searching look that Wes swore made her look far older than she was.

"Great." Wes said, smiling despite the gloom of the Under. "All we need to do is find the trouble and survive what we stir up."

Rui frowned suddenly, and pulled a crumpled paper from her pocket.

"Eh, what's that?" Wes asked.

Rui uncrumpled the paper, frowning as she read it. Then her face broke out into another smile.

"What does it say?" Wes asked, growing impatient.

Rui handed the paper over to him, and it read:

 _Hey guys! Sorry for not telling u this before, but the others in Kids Grid r down in the Under. Just look for a guy named Bitt. He's the one in charge, and can point you in the right direction. Find them quick, 'cause Lady Venus has ears everywhere._

 _Signed, Secc and Marcia._

Wes and Rui looked at each other, then at the paper. Rui opened er mouth to say something, but Wes put his finger to his mouth in a shushing gesture. He slowly turned around, and the people around them kept walking by.

"Hopefully no one heard us?" Rui whispered, barely moving her lips out of fear.

Wes only nodded. They walked off the platform and down into the darkened streets of the Under.

They didn't notice the small shadow drift away and fly.

* * *

"Tourney ticket sales are up thirty percent."

"One of our agents wants to know if we can give him the go ahead to purchase a brace of Starf berries. Yea or nay?"

"The boss has called a conference, Miss Venus."

A woman with reddish hair sighed. She twined one of her braids between her fingers, humming to herself a little as she considered her decisions. She stood, and pink silk rustled as she smoothed her dress. A young man rushed forward and gently dabbed powder on her cheek, sending up little puffs of make-up. Venus waved him away, and began walking.

"Try to keep sales at the current state." We have more investors coming in to watch our goods. Tell the agent to not bother. We don't need to have berries with random effects. As for that meeting..."

The door into the conference room slid open, and Venus sat at her spot. The room lighting dimmed, and four holograms crackled to life.

To Venus's right sat a young researcher with a slight frown. He was sorting through several papers as he muttered, occasionally looking up to the other hologram sitting across from him.

The other researcher sat with his arms folded, papers already in a neat stack in front of him. Venus took the slight time to appreciate the second researcher. His black hair was slicked back into a tail, further accentuating his sharp features. His cold eyes were shielded behind a research visor. A singular hair flick had escaped his pulled back hair, and he blew it out of his face.

Across from Venus sat Dakim. He wasn't still, growling and shuffling as he sat. He had a recent wound on his arm, wrapped in bandages. Venus caught his eye and smirked. The big brute narrowed his eyes and sneered. There was no love lost between them.

At the head of the table sat a silver haired man. He was wearing a purple dress shirt and had his hands steepled in front of his face, and his reddish eyes were unfocused in thought. Venus didn't like him as much as she thought he was a good business partner, and Nascour had the same sentiment.

Another seat at the end of the table was empty. Venus could only think of what kept its normal occupant from coming to the meeting.

"So what's the status on the lab, Ein?" Nascour asked, the hologram wavering as it struggled to keep track of all of his movements.

"We are streamlining the process." The black-haired researcher said, unfolding his arms. "With the current process, we are creating the equivalent of about twelve Shadow Pokémon each day. Some actually undergo the process, but we have been forced to cut back after both Miror's and Dakim's latest reports came in."

"Oh?" Nascour asked, inclining his head to Dakim. "And pray tell, what was in those reports that forces us to cut back production?"

Dakim cleared his throat. "There's been some young punks trying to take Cipher on all by themselves. The girl isn't anything too special, but the guy is a good battler. He took out all of my team on Mt. Battle."

"Hence why you failed to bring us the Time Flute?" The other researcher said, not looking up from his papers.

Dakim growled and moved to stand up.

"Ah-ah-ah, we're using holograms for this meeting. Not fists." Ein said, his voice cutting through the air like a shock. "Yes, DAKIM?"

Dakim sneered and sat back down. The chair at the end of the table lit up, and Miror B. made his appearance.

Venus had never seen the diva look so surly.

"Problems, Miror B.?" Ein asked, his face all but reflecting his amusement.

"Screw off!" Miror B. growled. "The big boss man just ripped me a new one for losin' Pyrite."

All attendees, save for Nascour, winced. The man in charge of Cipher's operations was not known for his tender mercies.

Venus cleared her throat delicately. "I understand that you and your group had to fall back to the Tower?"

Miror B. nodded, his surly expression softening. "We've been helping put some of the finishing touches on the outside. Dakim's been here, too. You and Ein may need to come soon, 'cause we need to put you guys in the system."

Ein nodded. "I concur with you, Miror. Now if there is anymore business?"

The door to the conference room opened, and Venus saw one of her most trusted spies poke her head inside.

"Lady Venus, I hate to interrupt. But we found something." The woman said.

"Very well." Venus sighed, smoothing her dress. "Come here."

The woman came inside, a Chatot perched on her arm. Venus beckoned, and the woman tapped the Chatot's back. It flinched and began to talk in two distinct voices. Voices that seemed to be on some sort of mission in her city. _Her_ city. Venus held her indignation back, and watched the faces of the admins present.

Ein's face was of cool detachment, and a hint of genuine curiosity. But nothing was forthcoming from him. Nascour was almost in the same boat, but Venus picked up a glint of something in his gaze over the hologram. But Dakim and Miror B., both were listening with blatant looks of anger and shock. They knew something. The Chatot abruptly stopped talking, and the table was silent.

"Thank you for sharing this information with us." Venus told her spy, inclining her head. The woman dipped her head and dismissed herself from the room. Venus turned back to her two comrades.

"Something to share?" Venus said, pinning Miror B. and Dakim with a glance.

Miror B. gave Venus a flat look from behind his tinted glasses. Dakim surprisingly spoke up.

"The two punks are the reason we're stewin' here at the Tower, doing nothing." Dakim said, his tone even. "The man is the one to watch out for, 'cause he's a battler through and through. The girl's with him all the time too."

"The girl I asked you to _acquire_?" Ein said, his voice cold. "The one that can ruin our _PLANS_?"

"I don't see how one girl can ruin a plan." Dakim said.

"As a byproduct of the Shadow converting process, the Pokémon apparently emit emotionally negative energy." The second researcher said, sliding his glasses up his nose. "This creates a displaced energy field around them. Some people and Pokémon in the facility have been observed unconsciously avoiding the pens and the converter room, suggesting that it isn't something every person can pick up on. But after Miror B. made the report of someone seeing the actual field…"

Venus huffed. "So you needed to keep it under wraps. At least until the tower has been finished."

Ein nodded. "You see our problem, Lady Venus. Other reports from our _other_ allies also say that the boy is one of their own, with the Snag Machine in his grasp. We need to destroy them as quickly as possible."

"Very well, then." Nascour said. "Are we in agreement? Halt the two troublemakers at any cost?"

"Aye." Chorused the group.

"Then it's settled."

The assembled holograms disappeared. Nascour gave Venus a look before he disappeared, one that she knew too well.

 _Do not fail, or else._

"Don't worry, I won't." She said, standing up and walking out of the dark conference room and into her bright studio. Crew members rushed back and forth, and a young woman pushed a warm cup of coffee into Venus's hand.

"You're on in ten minutes, Lady Venus." The crew member said quietly. "Good luck."

Venus gave a warm, yet cruel smirk. She thought of the surprise that two people were about to get.

"Luck indeed." She murmured, sipping from her cup.

* * *

Buster smacked another Pokémon back with his big palms. The Ledian chittered woodenly, and made to hit him again. The big Hariyama simply batted the Bug back again, waiting for another command from Wes. Wes had told him to only keep the Pokémon on the move and weaken it, not take it out. He had snorted with slight exasperation, but listened anyways.

Now he could see why.

The Ledian attacked with a ferocity that gave Buster pause. It buzzed closer, a peculiar feeling made Buster's skin _almost_ crawl. After several close attacks and a Signal Beam too close for comfort, Buster came to a conclusion.

There was something wrong with this Ledian. And he didn't like it.

Almost as soon as he came to the realization, he felt the strong urge to squish the Bug between his hands.

"Don't even think about it."

Buster saw Harmatten, now done with his own opponent, stalk closer. They began to circle the agitated Pokémon, who whirled as it tried to keep its compound eyes on them both.

"Don't know what you mean." Buster replied mulishly.

"NO squishing. The wrongness you sense is the same that came from you until a short while ago." The black feline darted forward in a mock feint.

The Ledian chittered as it backed up into Buster's reach. He gave the Bug a finger flick, and watched it buzz before it disappeared in a flash of red. The ball bounced, and Buster felt another odd feeling creep up. But this one was expected.

Dark Pokémon may not be able to pull of real illusions, like their Psychic brethren, but it wasn't hard for them to hide things with shadows. And in the darkness of the Under, it was incredibly easy for Harmatten to do. Something in Buster, probably his pride, told him this was an action without honor. But he also couldn't fault the usefulness of the tactic, despite its underhanded nature. He only kept an eye on the Trainer, making sure he didn't try to hurt any of his teammates.

"Hey!" The angry Trainer barked. "That's my Pokémon!"

Buster watched as Wes shrugged. He was inspecting his fingers with an air of casual indifference.

"Shoulda thought of the law _before_ obtaining it." Wes said coolly. "Not just when it suits ya."

The Trainer growled and ran. Buster lumbered over, still feeling adrenaline from the fight pump through his veins. But he quickly calmed down as Rui came over from an alleyway, Meditite hanging on her shoulders.

"Nothing?" Wes asked.

"They're not down that way." She said sadly. "We aren't gonna find this Bitt guy or the Kids Grid down here soon."

"On the plus side, nobody will mess with us now." Wes replied. Buster could only agree. No puny Trainers, even with weird Pokémon, could stop them. But the Pokémon was soon distracted by the sudden glare of electronic screens.

"This ain't good." Harmatten hissed, laying back his ears.

Buster could only rumble in acknowledgement of that statement.

* * *

Wes and Rui turned away from their conversation to observe the activation of many TV screens. Wes heard Harmatten hiss and Buster make that throat-deep grumble that Wes assumed was Hariyama-speak for trouble. He only watched as he defensively got into another battle stance.

The screens flickered, and a woman appeared on the screen. Wes immediately thought that no respectable person would ever where that amount of pink, and he now could put a face to the one and only Lady Venus.

" _Citizens of the Under,"_ The lady proclaimed. " _It has come to my attention that some disagreeable people have decided to come to our delightful den of free enterprise here, stealing and making a general mess. That simply won't do."_

Wes and Rui looked at each other and uttered one word between the two of them.

"Well, shit."

* * *

 **A/N: I'm alive, folks! Up and kicking, and I apologize for the long wait. Engineering homework doesn't do itself, after all.**

 **So I have done several things over these last few months to warrant my absence. I've been brushing up my drawing skills to get to the point of doing commissions for people, and I'm almost there. And I've been trying my hand at original storymaking, so an original book is in the works.**

 **And I rediscovered my love for giant, fighting robots... *weary sigh***

 **The plot bunnies have attacked me, my friends. What am I to do?**

 **See y'all next chapter!**


	19. Chapter 19: Dancing in the Dark

***runs in with stack of papers in hand* Done!**

 **Things got out of hand at university, so have a chapter a month later than I wanted to post it.**

 **And Now, Our Feature Presentation**

* * *

As soon as Venus's message ended, Wes grabbed Rui's hand and ran.

At the moment, the implication that they were the wanted fugitives Venus was looking for wasn't enough to slow Wes down as he dragged Rui away from anyone that may recognize them if pictures were put up on screen. Delaying the inevitable was his, _their_ , only hope right now.

"Wes, slow down a little!" Rui hissed, finally jerking them into a darkened alcove off the street. Nobody passing by looked at them, more or less gave them the time of day. Harmatten and Buster caught up, and Wes hit the buttons to recall them to their Pokéballs.

"We gotta find those kids before we get found out!" Wes hissed back, watching through the steam of the vents nearby for anyone approaching. "I don't want to think what could happen with us out in the open."

Rui slumped, the reality of their precarious situation dawning on her. Meditite chittered and patted her hair from its perch on her shoulder.

"I know." Rui whispered. "And I don't know where to look. We're lost, and now…"

"Lotsa crazy cutthroats out for our blood." Wes sighed. "Doesn't look good, but we can manage."

"How?"

Wes thought, then spotted a sign. It was a simple arrow, pointing up with words scribbled under it. He carefully left the safety of the alcove and read the sign, a hopeful smile unfurling on his face. He looked back at the alcove and beckoned. Rui ran over.

"There's another elevator to the top of the canyon, and it's unguarded." Wes said. "We can go back up briefly and get some disguises. Or something-"

"PSSSSSSSST!"

Wes's and Rui's hands flew to their Pokéballs, only for Meditite to chitter and point to a small shadow lurking outside of the light. A hand beckoned them, and Wes carefully stepped out to get a good look at the shadow.

A young boy with a bandana wrapped around his head beckoned again. He had an oversized Raticate near his feet, watching and twitching its whiskers as it watched.

"Come here!" The boy said. "Secc and Marcia said to go looking for you!"

Wes gave the small boy a cautious look. It wouldn't be hard for Cipher to get someone to mimic small kids to throw potential dangers off their game. But he didn't even know if they knew about the Kid's Grid. And one misstep could get them all killed.

"What Pokémon of theirs runs around the house?" He asked.

The boy looked confused.

"Uh, the Cacnea? Marcia complains about it enough."

"Good answer." Wes said. He looked back in the alcove and motioned to Rui and Meditite. The boy nodded and took off quickly. They followed, keeping to the shadows.

By the first turn, Wes knew this kid was good. He took them through so many twists and turns, making sure they lost any potential followers. He took them on walkways that spanned the darkness above the Under, and through tunnels under the concrete streets. They seemed to go deeper and deeper into the earth, and Wes could feel the heat from the underground city above them. But then the boy began to lead them up an ascending spiral, and soon they were in a small lot that was closed in from all sides. Wes almost cursed, then saw the boy head for a small pipe. It daunted the pair to see the boy seemingly squeeze through a pipe, only to find it was a giant culvert flowing with water. Wes shrugged off his duster and tied the arms around his neck.

"Afraid of getting your manly coat wet?" Rui asked, her earlier terror forgotten.

Wes gave the water a pointed look.

"I'm not finding out the hard way that the water's smells enough to be tracked." He said.

"Sure it is." Was Rui's reply.

They followed the boy up through the culvert, and soon they were outside a boxy little hovel. It was covered in tin roofing sheets and an odd disc that protruded from the side, giving it an odd appearance. Wes tried to think about the weird setup, but was soon following Rui. She had a small smile on her face, which was something odd.

"You ok?" He asked. "You seem distant."

Rui only shook her head.

"Good, kind-hearted people and Pokémon live here." She replied. "That's all."

Wes was confused, but was soon unable to ask anything as their impatient guide whistled and ushered them into the hovel.

The first thing to greet him was brightness.

The hovel was completely white and gray on the inside. Pokémon Centers didn't look half as sterile as this place did. Not a speck of dirt could be seen. The floor wasn't reflective at least, or Wes would have felt more out-of-place than he felt he should. Rui was just looking around in puzzled awe.

"Never seen a place this clean before?" The boy asked, shucking off his shoes and dirty poncho.

"In this region?" Wes snorted. "Not likely. You're Kid's Grid, right?"

The boy grinned and held out his hand. "Bitt's the name."

Wes shook hands with him. "Wes, ya little shadow. You nearly gave me a heart attack back there."

"Same." Rui said. "And my name's Rui."

Bitt's grin only widened. "So I've been told. Come on, I want to introduce you guys to Megg and Nett."

 _What is it with these kids and the weird sounding names?_ Wes thought.

Bitt led them down a flight of stairs, an odd glow reflecting off of the gleaming walls. Wes had to briefly duck to get through, only to bonk his head on several low-hanging cables.

"OW!" Wes grumbled.

"Watch those." Bitt said. "Nett would have your head if you messed up the region wide network."

"Region wide network?" Rui asked.

"Yeah." Bitt said. "These servers are what gets us to communicate across the region with other kids in other places. What we can't get to, we use the radio waves. Nett is administrator to the whole network. Megg runs our news broadcast to the outside world."

"Outside of the Under?" Rui asked.

"To the rest of the world, not just Orre." Wes grumbled, still rubbing his forehead. "Am I right?"

Bitt, with a somber face, only nodded.

Rui suddenly was quiet. Wes could only think what was going on.

"How bad is it?" Wes asked. Bitt, with his big vocabulary, would definitely understand what he asked.

"The world is up in arms over what's been going on here." Bitt said, his voice eerily steady. "They're calling for a total embargo of the Orre region in retaliation for all the Kantonese and Johtoan ships that get attacked off our coasts. Nothing in and nothing out."

"As I understood, travel to Orre is strictly regulated unless you're from the region itself." Rui said. "I don't know what fate had in store for me to even get here."

"I thought you flew here?" Wes asked. "Gateon has a tiny airport right outside city limits."

Rui shook her head. "I got here on a boat."

"The fact is," Bitt continued. "is that Kanto, Johto, and their allies are not happy and are this close to declaring war on the region. That's what Megg has been listening to the airwaves for, and cycling it out to our hidey holes so we can prepare to weather the worst. But that's not all."

"By Ho-oh, there's more?" Rui gasped.

"Oh yeah. Somehow, Secc and Marcia found a call line to Gateon, and tapped it after consulting Nett. The orders from Cipher and what's been filtering back to Megg match up. Kinda scary, if you ask me."

Wes sucked in a hurried breath. "War is a merchant's delight, ain't it?" He sighed.

Bitt nodded somberly. Rui's face had gone pale.

"They're trying to start a war." Rui breathed.

Wes breathed in and out slowly, trying not to let his feelings run away. War wasn't something he was willing to get into, but something in him balked at the thought of running away now. Maybe it had to do with having Rui tagging along, or the hopeful faces of Secc, Marcia, and now Bitt had made him go soft.

"So my kidnapping could have been worse." Rui chuckled, attempting to lighten the mood.

Wes snorted. "Coulda fooled me. I had to rescue your ass."

Rui swatted at Wes, grinning.

"You were kidnapped?" Bitt asked. "Why?"

Rui shrugged."I see the cloud of darkness they leave behind on Pokémon when they turn them into Shadow Pokémon. I don't know how exactly, only that it seems to be something passed down in the family. That's all I can really say, 'cause I don't know much about it."

"Then you'll like Megg." Bitt said, his grin returning. "She'll have answers, I betcha. She always does."

Wes stood up carefully, and they continued through the house. Wes saw living spaces for more than three kids as they walked through, Bitt giving little narratives and stories that only a young boy could. Soon, they ended up outside a door, and Wes straightened up with a groan. The ceiling had too many things for him to bump into, and walking hunched over hurt.

"BITT!" A young boy's voice cried. "THERE'S AN IMPORTANT UPDATE! GET IN HERE!"

Bitt scrambled into the room, leaving the two outside as excited jabbering ensued. The door swung open, and Wes took the time to peek inside.

Wires ran everywhere, connecting several computer terminals and other things that Wes had no hope of ever figuring out. Lights blinked and flashed different colors. But the thing that drew his attention was Bitt and another, taller boy bent over a screen. The special, eye-hurting light of a computer screen filtered around them. Wes watched as one of the unidentifiable pieces of hardware spat out a stream of yellowed print paper, and the taller boy absent-mindedly grabbed it.

"This is a special development, all right." The boy said.

"Those two'll be happy with what they started." Bitt said.

"Say what now?" Rui called. The two kids turned around, and the taller boy gave Bitt an odd glance.

"Who're these two?" He asked Bitt.

"The two we were just talking about." Bitt said. He motioned for Wes and Rui to come in.

"Nett, this is Wes and Rui, the two most recent pains in Cipher's side." Bitt explained. "Wes, Rui, this is Nett. He is the one and only creator of the Kid's Grid network."

Nett rolled his eyes, but nevertheless stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Same." Wes replied. "Nice setup you got here. Banged my head against enough of it."

Nett shrugged. "As long as you don't disconnect anything. I really got to get this mess under control. So what brings you two here?"

Wes looked at Rui.

"It's a long story." They replied at the same time.

[linebreak]

"So you've been going around and taking out the weird, hyper-aggressive Pokémon Cipher have been creating?"

"Pretty much." Rui said.

"Also been trying to not get killed in the process, too." Wes grumbled, nursing a mug of coffee.

They had been talking for a good two hours, recounting their travels. Or, in Wes's case, dishing out all he knew about Snagem.

"So they've been upping the amount of Pokémon stolen before you left?" Nett asked, a small pad of paper in his hand, a pencil detailing all that they had told him.

"Yeah, they had." Wes said. "I got nothing else for your little book there, so save it."

Nett smirked, and snapped the pad shut. Rui gave a sigh of relief, and Wes could only agree with her. This line of conversation resembled the Sinnohan Inquisition more than a friendly chat.

"So, got a plan down here?" Nett asked. "Perhaps Snagging more Shadow Pokémon?"

Wes shrugged. "I just yell 'All Challengers Welcome' and use some of the techniques to Snag 'em underhanded. A few never really caught on, but I think that's how we got caught in the first place."

"More than likely." Nett said, chewing the end of the pencil thoughtfully. "Can I see your PDA for a second?"

Wes gave the boy a doubtful look. "You're not gonna put a tracker on it, are you?"

"No!" He scoffed. "I have the recent list that Cipher's been circulating, and I think it might be really useful for you."

Wes reluctantly handed the communication device over. Nett opened several panels, plugged it in to a flat box, and waited. A door shut somewhere downstairs, and a young girl walked up the stairs, rubbing her throat and grimacing.

"Another day on the airwaves, Megg?"

"You have no idea." She croaked. "The kids in Gateon have been pouring in info all day, saying Cipher's in for another raid. And who are these people?"

"Oh, Wes and Rui. They've been working against Cipher like we have for the past, what, seven months?" Bitt said, glancing at the pair.

Wes mentally counted, and added up all the weeks that they spent running around the region and helping the extra Pokémon they had freed in Agate village.

"More like seven and three quarters." He mumbled. Rui gave him a surprised look.

"It's been that long?" She asked. "It feel like we just met yesterday."

"Keh, don't get too sentimental." Wes grumbled. "We'll just do what it takes to get Cipher out of here."

"Why?"

Wes thought for a second. "Think of it as a matter of professional pride."

Megg smirked, glancing between him and Rui. "Upset they would dare hurt such a pretty damsel, huh?"

Wes spat out the generous gulp of coffee as Rui began to splutter.

"It totally isn't!"

"WHAT THE-"

"Why even-"

"HELL NO!" Finished Wes, coughing to rid the rest of the coffee he inadvertently inhaled with surprise. Rui, her face flushed, nodded enthusiastically.

"We are NOT. A. Couple." She finished resolutely. "I can See Shadow Pokémon, and Wes can catch them. Nothing more."

"Right." Wes replied.

Meg only raised her eyebrows.

"Seriously, nothing more." Wes growled, giving the brash girl a hard glare.

"Alright, suit yourselves." She said airily, grabbing a cup from the cupboard and filling it with the last of the coffee in the pot. "But that aside, have you heard of Lady Venus?"

Wes grimaced. "Yeah, she kinda sicced the entire Under on us. Hard to miss."

Megg smirked, a light dancing in her eyes. Wes made a mental note to never piss this young lady off, in the future.

"She's holding a tournament tonight. They say the winner gets to go talk to her."

"Can't really do that. Kinda wanted criminals at the moment."

"Not if the big screen hasn't displayed your faces yet." Nett said, frowning at the coffeepot as it refused to give him any coffee. "Bitt contacted me after the message began to play, and I put a virus in the system to delete any pictures they intended to put up there. Nobody's gonna remember you if you just keep your head down."

Wes felt the invisible weight of impending danger lift, and he relaxed. Rui sighed with relief.

"So we enter the tournament and face her ourselves." Rui said.

Wes smirked. He liked having a plan, and now he could tear a good hole in Cipher.

"Alright then." Wes said, his grin widening. "Where's the Colosseum?"

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the main event! Are you ready to see these battles?"

The cheering Wes could hear from outside the door was deafening. He absently traced the Pokéballs on his belt, and an aid for the Colosseum hurried up to him.

"Mr. Dargo?" The aid said. "You're up next."

Wes had to keep himself from smiling. The name was an obvious fake, but the aid didn't even bat an eyelash at it.

"Yeah, I hear you." He said, striding forward. "Let's get this over with."

The roar of the crowd didn't faze him as he walked. He was too busy sinking into that state of calmness that only an upcoming battle could bring on. His opponent came up to the opposite side, and the Trainer barely registered in Wes's eyes as he waited for the first move.

"Trainers, start!" The emcee yelled.

The Trainer sent out two Linoone, and Wes only whispered one word as he sent out Meditite and Buster.

"Obliterate them."

As soon as the Pokémon hit the ground, Buster was thundering forward with Meditite hanging on to his shoulders. He sent the Linoone flying with one Knock-Off powered slap of his large hand. Meditite jumped and sent them back to the ground with a Mach Punch attack. The dust cleared, and the pair of Linoone didn't get up.

The arena was silent. Wes watched as the referee called for a stop and inspected the Pokémon. He knew Buster didn't even exert enough force to even really leave lasting damage, but the powerful Fighting-type's slaps were not to be challenged.

"The Linoone are unable to battle. The match goes to Mr. Dargo!" The referee announced. Wes waved as he left.

Nothing was going to stop them. No matter what.

* * *

 _This last Trainer's tough_. Wes thought, eyeing the Shelgon and Hitmonchan with calm indifference.

"Chan, Ten Yellow!" The Trainer yelled. "Razor, Hold Blue!"

Wes gave two short whistles, allowing Sirocca and Buster to dodge the Hitmonchan's crackling Thunderpunch. Sirocca let loose a close range Flame Wheel, and caught the smaller Fighting-type across the back. But it shrugged it off with only a small area of slightly burnt skin.

Wes was facing a dilemma. This Trainer was definitely not a local trainer. He used commands with codewords and odd intonations. Meditite had fainted early on in the fight, and he hoped that Buster and Sirocca could hold out a little longer. He almost had the other Trainer's command figured out, but he kept switching them up.

The Shelgon barreled toward Buster, but the Hariyama only held steady and held the rolling Dragon in place.

"Now!" Wes yelled.

Sirocca turned and smacked the distracted Hitmonchan with a well-aimed Headbutt. She kicked the downed Pokémon for good measure, and Buster deflected the Shelgon's momentum away and followed with a Cross Chop. The Shelgon's shell held, but the Dragon slowed and soon rolled to a stop. Wes waited, and smirked when he saw the Dragon tremble and fall over.

"Chan and Razor are unable to battle! The match goes to Mr. Dargo!"

Wes withdrew his Pokémon and turned back to go back to the waiting room. He saw Rui waiting, as well as the aid from earlier.

"Can I help you?" Wes asked the aid brusquely. No sense in dropping the disguise early.

The aid paled, but to his credit his voice didn't waver.

"Lady Venus was incredibly impressed with your battling prowess and wishes and audience with you."

"I see." Wes said, looking at Rui.

"If you'll just follow me, please." The aid said, leading the way deeper into the Colosseum.

"We made it." She sighed quietly. "Now what?"

Wes grinned as he stopped, placing the Pokéballs in the healing machine. The machine dinged after seven seconds.

"We go see what Cipher has to offer." He said. "and they won't know what hit them."

The pair quietly laughed as they followed the impatient aid down the hallway, ready for what may come next.

* * *

 **A/N: Whew! What a doozy of a chapter! But I'm definitely proud of it, and just keep chugging along.**

 **So any thoughts and concerns? Any questions? Like the new-ish writing style?**

 **Stay tuned for the next adventure!**


	20. Chapter 20: The Rain After The Fire

**Hey guys, I'm a little early this time! Stay tuned for the author's note, 'cause I got some important stuff to tell you!**

 **And Now, Our Feature Presentation!**

* * *

Venus was stopping for a break to wipe the TV makeup she had on, when the Colosseum aide came into the room. She carefully shook her scarlet tresses out of her way and leveled her coolest stare at him. The man still briefly shook like a leaf when she did this, and she could only sigh and motion for him to speak.

"The winner of the Colosseum challenge is here to see you, madam."

"Is he now?" She asked, feeling her focus sharpen. She had compared the man's appearance to Dakim and Miror's descriptions, and would have given money to bet that they were one and the same. She relished the coming challenge, and maybe curry favor in Nascour's eyes. Or even the boss's. She ran a hand over a bump in her sleeves, putting on her most winning smile.

"Send them in." She commanded. She couldn't give anything away, for there was a small chance that he may not know who she is.

* * *

"Lady Venus will see you now." The aid said, with his mouth pursed.

Wes took in a deep breath and motioned to Rui. She put her hands in her coat pockets, and they went into the room.

The room turned out to be a TV studio. Cords and cameras were in strategic places with overhead lights blazing to the desk that Venus had sat in when she issued the order for them to be brought to her. There was no one there, except for the woman in pink herself. She turned to them, and Wes felt his blood run cold. Her eyes were a blue that was neither friendly or warm, or cold and calculating. It was almost like seeing the depths of the ocean gazing back, or a long-forgotten ancient Pokémon was contemplating sparing something for further use. The feeling immediately put Wes on high alert, and he kept his hands near his Pokéballs. Just in case. He wondered how Rui was doing, with her abilities not just extending to Pokémon.

Venus smiled, or just bared her teeth in a mockery of a smile. Wes would never know.

"Oh, thank you for coming here!" said Venus, and Wes kept himself from shuddering. Her voice was in a syrupy tone that threatened to make him gag. An odd sound from Rui had him look at her, and she looked like she swallowed something awful. He would have laughed, if the situation wasn't so tense.

"You're welcome." Wes said, fighting to keep his voice neutrally gruff. He couldn't give anything away.

"You may leave now, Bopen." Venus said, waving the aide toward the door, who left without as much as a tremor in his step. Wes narrowed his eyes at the pink-dressed lady in front of him, who regarded him innocently.

"Awright, Lady Venus. What's this about?" Wes asked.

Venus shrugged. "I only wished to personally congratulate you on a well won Colosseum challenge. Not many get through that many battles with such finesse and skill."

"Thanks, I guess." Wes said. "Got my Pokémon to thank, and all that."

"Yes. But there is something I must say."

"Eh? What's that?"

Venus snapped her fingers. Two Cipher women appeared, dragging a man behind them. They threw him down toward the duo and Wes heard Rui gasp.

It was Silva. He gingerly sat up and scooted as far away from the trio of women as he could. Wes could see that Silva had several empty loops on his belt, and his heart gave a small pang. They had taken Silva's Pokémon.

"I do not tolerate spies and troublemakers in my Under." Venus said, her voice losing all of the faux sweetness from before. "And I don't play around, Wes. And don't be so surprised, dear boy. Miror B. and Dakim were very unhappy for the beatings you gave them and the ones that resulted from an unhappy boss. I will not fall like them."

"I wouldn't imagine that you would." Wes growled, reaching for his Pokéballs. In a flash came out Sirocca and Buster.

Venus sniffed disdainfully. "You believe you can win?" She whipped her wide sleeves, and Wes felt his stomach drop as two Pokémon flashed into existence.

The massive metal monstrosity known as Steelix towered above him and his Pokémon, grinding its teeth in a close approximation to an avalanche. A small shadow stood next to it. The zippered grin only gave Wes more shivers. A Banette. A Ghost that looked like children's dolls in order to lure them astray and disappear with them. He was doubly glad for the type advantage that he had right now. The calm that came to Wes now was like an old friend, enveloping him as he made the first move.

"Sirocca!" Wes commanded, snapping his fingers.

Sirocca, her Fire-Type instincts burning, rushed forward before rolling into a flaming whirlwind. Steelix growled when Venus yelled her command and brought its tail down _hard_ , making the floor ripple. Banette's eyes began to glow blue, and Wes got Buster to move before the Fighter could be nailed with a bolt of Psychic energy.

Buster retaliated by using Knock Off, his hands slightly trailing darkness. Banette rattled and scooted closer to Steelix, who just growled and kept using its tail to swat at Sirocca.

Venus was saying her orders, but Wes couldn't hear them over the din of the battle. She kept starting to make motions, but aborting them. Steelix was doing the best it could, with its head brushing the top of the studio's ceiling. Sirocca kept going after it, flames and smoke billowing off of her.

Buster cried out, and Wes immediately withdrew him and sent out Harmatten. The black feline materialized in the air, red eyes searching for Banette. His teeth began to ooze blackness, and the shadows of the TV set bent to Harmatten's will as he engaged the frantically rattling Ghost.

Wes suddenly saw Steelix land several smacks on Sirocca, and the Typhlosion rumbled as she clung to the tail. Fire poured out of her mouth, and Steelix thrashed as it bellowed. Wes ducked as the metal tail almost decapitated him.

 _I didn't think of this beforehand._ He mentally growled. _Steelix is hampered by the small space, but at risk of injuring us in the process._

Banette fell, Harmatten leaping away as he focused on the thrashing Steelix. He scampered over the twisting bulk, and Sirocca leapt away before the thrashing could squish her. Wes gave two sharp whistles, and Harmatten began to claw and bite his way around Steelix's face.

Venus yelled something, and Steelix began to head for the back wall of the studio. Wes suddenly felt things turn for the worse.

"Harmatten, get back!" He yelled. Harmatten jumped away in time to avoid being slammed into the wall. But the Steelix kept going, and soon there was a giant hole in the wall. Metal had been warped away, and Wes could see dirt crumbling from the sides of the hole.

He grimaced. The snake was in its natural environment. Nothing short of a miracle was going to do anything now. Venus sent out a Vileplume next, poison spores billowing out of the Grass and Poison-Type like smoke.

"Blossom, use Attract!" Venus commanded, a sinister smile on her face. The Vileplume moved away, and Wes watched as it edged towards Sirocca. He shook his head, and suddenly felt a tremor beneath his feet. Steelix was coming back. He thought quickly as he snapped his fingers at Harmatten. Harmatten leapt and proceeded to harry the slow moving Vileplume.

 _The Steelix is gunning for Sirocca, I know it. Venus would know that I have nothing else to threaten it, and it has a type advantage over her. So what do I do?_ Wes thought. _How does Steelix know where Sirocca is?_

Wes got Harmatten to pull back, and sent Sirocca to circle the mildly hurt Grass and Poison Type. He felt the tremors get stronger, and soon snapped his fingers. Sirocca leapt away just as Steelix erupted out of the ground. Wes only hoped Vileplume got caught in the crossfire as he put his right thumb and index finger in his mouth and whistled sharply.

Sirocca, having used Steelix's attack as a launching opportunity, spat a blue-orange jet of flames out as Harmatten's eyes glowed. Several red balls of energy flew from Harmatten and hit the Steelix and hit it at the same time as Sirocca's Flamethrower attack. Steelix _roared_ , a mix of both anger and agony, and Wes covered his ears. He watched as it froze, and saw it sway. He watched his Pokémon share a look and get out of the way, just as Steelix toppled over and crashed to the ground.

The Vileplume staggered to its feet, but Harmatten pranced over and nudged it over again. Wes couldn't keep himself from smirking at his Pokémon's attitude as Venus sent out her next two Pokémon. Her face was all shades of pissed off, and Wes almost chuckled.

His chuckled died in his throat, when a wall of water suddenly came out of nowhere and sent him, Harmatten, and Sirocca crashing into the wall. He sputtered and coughed, and heard both Rui and Silva do the same.

He also saw both his Pokémon laying quite still.

"No!" Wes whispered. He reached out to the two Pokémon, feeling their necks. Much to his relief, there was weak but steady pulses under his hands. He recalled them, and stood to get his bearings.

Venus was smiling, all pretended friendliness from earlier gone. A Delcatty stood by her side, and a big beast like Entei. This one was blue, with a purple mane and white ribbon-like feelers too. He heard Rui gasp behind him.

"Suicune!" She whispered. "No even you were safe!"

Venus grinned, like a Skitty caught the Fletchling. She inspected her nails as the two Pokémon of hers circled Wes.

"Surrender, and I may show mercy." She sighed. "All you have to do is give up."

Wes thought about everything that Nett, Bitt and Megg had worked for. The news, the information and even the connections that kept this region tightly knit and hopeful to stop Cipher would be destroyed. This lady wouldn't hesitate to hurt them, or any of their contacts.

Wes felt his frustration and anger crest, and he savagely flicked out the Pokéballs that held Meditite and Leveche.

"No way in hell, woman." He spat, and whistled as he released the Pokémon.

Leveche hissed as she flew, the red gem on her head sparking with psychic energy as she faced Suicune. Meditite didn't even waste time on theatrics, and gave the Delcatty a swift Hi Jump Kick to the side. The Delcatty hissed and began to chase the little Fighter.

Wes focused more on Leveche's fight. He could hear Leveche's _howdareyouhurtmylittermateandfriendsIwillendYOU_ , and watched the two Pokémon face off like Trainers did. He snapped his fingers right as Venus gave her command.

Both Pokémon became blurs as they started to fight. Leveche was a lavender blur that kept her distance as TV equipment, cords, and debris from Steelix's tunnel flew at the Legendary Beast. It only roared, and kept sending jets of water and white slices of pressurized wind at Leveche. One cord's plug connected with Suicune's flank, and it growled as a mild shock zapped it. Leveche took the opening and soon sent a concentrated Psychic bolt at Suicune, who moved away in a flash and appeared right in front of Leveche. She shoved it away, using Psychic to toss the Beast farther away from her. Wes also saw Meditite bound away and deliver a good kick to Delcatty, who fell to the floor. He clicked his tongue, and Meditite nodded in understanding.

Suicune roared when Meditite brought its fist crashing down on its head, and swatted the little Fighter away with its paws. Leveche and Meditite switched on and off, harrying the Beast. Wes grabbed an Ultra Ball and put it in the Snag machine. It dinged almost as soon as he put it there, and he tossed it.

Suicune gave the flying projectile an unimpressed look and swatted it away with a paw. Wes cursed under his breath when Venus gave Suicune another Surf command. The wall of water rushed to sweep Leveche and Meditite away.

"Meditite, Shadow Rush!" Wes yelled, keeping his phrasing carefully enunciated.

Meditite stepped in front of Leveche, and used the attack to blast through the water. Leveche followed Meditite, but Wes was again swept up. He gagged as water found its way down into his lungs.

 _I ain't drowning here!_ He growled mentally, and reached out to grab something. Two hands found his, and soon the water was gone. Wes fumbled for a new Ultra Ball as he staggered up, still coughing water up. Rui and Silva both were doing the same, but he ignored them as he got his attention back to his Pokémon. He heard the Snag Machine ding as he felt the last of the water trickle down his chin.

Leveche and Meditite were still fighting, but both were wearing down. Suicune's eyes were glowing with emotion, and Wes lined his sights up carefully.

 _One shot._ He thought. _Make it count._

Suicune stilled, and Wes could see the torment in its eyes as he threw the ball. It sucked Suicune into it, and fell to the ground.

Wes barely heard Venus squawk in dismay as he watched the ball wriggle….

…once….

The silence was deafening as it wriggled again….

…and laid still.

Wes lunged into action, scooping up the ball before Venus could even move. But her lungs still worked just fine.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?!" She shrieked.

"It's called Snagging." Wes said smugly. Or tried to. The sentence petered out into a cough before he could get the smugness in. He noticed that Venus was standing in the only dry spot in the room. Before he could say anything, two Cipher members came into the room from a back door. Wes couldn't see their eyes behind those visors, but he did see the bottom half of their faces pale as they saw the damage the studio suffered.

"Lady Venus, what happened?" One of them said, dodging wreckage. Wes pocketed the Pokéball containing Suicune, and saw Rui helping Silva to his feet.

"You okay?" She asked the beaten young man.

Silva nodded, his hair plastered to his skull after all the Surf attacks. Rui turned to him, and Wes could only think how much Rui resembled a drowned Rattata.

"I do not!" Rui objected. Wes realized he said that last part out loud.

"Sorry." He said, Leveche coming up to rub against his leg. Meditite clambered up his wet coat and onto his shoulders. But that only drew his attention to Venus again. She and the other Cipher personnel were hurrying out of the TV studio. Wes felt all the adrenaline from the fight surge.

"GET BACK HERE!" Wes bellowed. Rui looked up, only to see Wes sprint after the retreating figures. She released her Swinub, who settled in Silva's lap.

"Use him as an ice pack." She ordered, and ran off to help Wes. Or keep him from being jumped.

* * *

Wes was furious. This woman had the nerve to run, after he had defeated her! The earlier instances of Miror B.'s escape, as well as Dakim's inhuman leap to safety, made Wes only want to corner Venus and turn her over to Sherles in Pyrite. The old man could no doubt get the information to get back at Cipher from her. He saw Rui out of the corner of his eye, effortlessly keeping up with him.

"Wes, she took the elevator!" She gasped. "If we hurry, we can catch her!"

"Yeah!" He bit out. "And I can wring her scrawny neck!"

Rui gave him an unimpressed look. He rolled his eyes.

"Figuratively."

She smirked as they took the stairs two at a time as they descended. Wes saw a bright flash of pink out of the corner of his eye, and saw Venus and her underlings run across a bridge. They were almost there, and Wes jumped the last six stairs and sprinted. Rui was right behind him when they crossed the bridge, rushing water meeting their ears. Wes ignored it, and they soon followed the trio of women into a tunnel that took them even further downwards. Wes could feel his adrenaline from earlier waning, only for light to greet them as they ran.

It was an old tram tunnel, angled to go to the surface to deposit miners and ores from the old days. But shiny new tracks glinted in the harsh light, and a high-speed train was stopped over on the new tracks. Wes saw one of the ladies fumble with a card and drop it while the other ushered Venus into the train. They saw them, and hurried into the train.

"Go, go!" Wes heard Venus shriek.

The train started up, but not before Wes scooped up the key and Rui hoisted herself onto the running board of the train. Wes followed, holding onto the outside door rails as the train blasted off into the darkness.

Wes struggled to find the card scanner as air whistled around them, and Rui and he held on tightly to the door rails as they tried to get in. Finally, the card slid into something and the door opened. Rui and Wes collapsed onto the floor.

"Never….again." Rui muttered. "I will never ride on the outside of the Magnet Train, ever."

"You….said it…." Wes said, his chest heaving as he tried to not puke now that his adrenaline rush had ended.

The tram car they were in was silent as they contemplated the ceiling.

"You know what?" said Wes.

"What?" asked Rui.

"Next time someone says 'get on the train', I'm gonna say 'Screw you, I'm getting _in_ the train. Tried the _on_ part, didn't like it."

Rui giggled. "Yeah. We're so stupid."

"Your words, not mine."

"Well, you're included in that statement."

Wes rolled his eyes, and then got up. He checked the door between cars, only to find that it was locked.

"What do we do?" asked Rui.

"We wait 'til the train stops." Wes said, sitting on the floor.

* * *

Rui didn't realize that she fell asleep until Wes was shaking her shoulder.

"Rui, wake up."

She rubbed her eyes. They surely were still going, right?

No, she could hear a screeching noise. The brakes were on, and they would be arriving soon. She stood up and they waited for the train to stop. Rui pulled out healing supplies, and Wes tended to his Pokémon. Buster was okay, as were Leveche and Meditite. Harmatten and Sirocca required the bitter Revival Herbs that Rui carried to be brought back to conscience. Then Wes managed to get some medicine in them and such. But he knew that anything that they did from here on out was going to be carefully planned. His Pokémon were still injured.

The train slid to a stop, and the duo watched as Venus and her two cohorts stepped out of the train. Wes, his anger returning, opened the door and walked towards them.

"Hold it right there, Venus." Wes growled.

She spun around as two more Cipher personnel appeared. She spun back around, spat something at them, and then ran into the door that the reinforcements had come out of. The reinforcements followed her, and Wes chased after them. But he was tired and wet from his earlier soaking, so he wasn't going very fast. Wes urged his legs to move, but he came to the doorway in time to see several sticks clatter to the ground. Their ends fizzled, and Wes saw sparks.

He ran back, pulling Rui with him. And they hit the ground right as the explosives went off.

KABOOOOOOOMMMM!

* * *

Venus chuckled. Hopefully the meddling persons got caught in the crossfire, and she would report to the boss and Nascour to give a special report. The peon that had been sent to check was coming back right now, in fact.

"Well?" She asked.

"They escaped, but there's no way they're gonna follow us now. The explosive totaled the room and caused a collapse in the ceiling. They're not following anytime soon.

"Good." Venus said. "We may proceed to the next phase then."

She still did feel a little unhappy though. If only the explosives had taken care of the issue instead of prolonging it. But no matter. She had a report to make, and a scientist to wind up.

* * *

Secc was up in the windmill of Pyrite Town. He hid out here, mostly to find a quiet place away from Marcia when she was in one of her 'moods'. But today he had gotten bored of just listening to the churning of the windmill, and decided to go through the miscellaneous junk that had accumulated over the years.

He was looking at old weapons and books when a case caught his eye.

Secc picked it up, and saw that it was made of hide and scratched with runes that he only ever saw on nomad stalls when they came for market day. He opened it, and saw a flute nestled inside. He grinned, and closed the case and ran for the ladder.

Maybe he found something after all.

* * *

"We just nearly died."

"You've said that five times now."

Rui looked down at her hands. She was still damp from the earlier battle, but she was exhausted and hoped that Nett and Megg would let them stay the night.

"Yeah, but that only pisses me off more." Wes growled. "We'll get them, and we'll keep the region from going down. Trust me."

Rui smiled, because in that moment she believed in those words. Believed that despite all that they just faced, there would be a time that they would accomplish what they needed to. An then the world would open up for them.

"Yeah. I believe you." She said. "Until the very end."

Wes could only smile back.

 _Hopefully we don't royally screw this up._

* * *

 **A/N: So. I have written out all my notes for Ancient Desert Winds, and can safely say that the story's planned chapter are definite and the story will be finished sometime this summer. The end is in sight, and the next phase begins...**

 **However, don't be disappointed. If any of you didn't already know, I have the beginnings of another story set in this universe on FFnet. It's called Gotta Catch 'Em All, and it follows the female protagonist of Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen. I have a whole series planned out, and our favorite duo will appear again.**

 **Oh, don't worry ;)**

 **On another note, I have a cool story for you guys. So my family live out in the middle of nowhere, no one else for about a mile. Today, as I was typing this chapter, my brother came in the house and my mom told me to look out the window.**

 **Standing in the field right outside our house was a white she-wolf.**

 **Now we do have some neighbors down the road that raise sled dogs, but this canine was waaaay too big to be an ordinary sled dog. And was lacking the curly tail. But this wolf turned around and regarded us, and just tilted her head to the side like "what the hey is that?". And our dog was so confused, 'cause he was like "who is this on our property?!" but she just stood there. Later she left, but my other brother said that it might be a dog because he saw it earlier in the day, stopped, and it let him get pretty close before trotting off. I think she was a wolf, though.**

 **Maybe she might be back in the morning. Who knows?**

 **But how's that for an odd encounter?**


	21. Chapter 21: Winter Comes

**And Now, Our Feature Presentation!**

* * *

Thankfully Nett, Bitt, and Megg did extend an offer to stay in their home until they properly recovered. Nett had noticed how cramped the entire house was with the wiring, and was in the middle of taping the wires into bundles when the tired pair, Silva, and their newly healed Pokémon stumbled through the door. He gave them one look and grinned.

"Chased her out, right?" He asked.

"Nearly died in the process," Wes said through a yawn. "She nearly drowned us is what she did." Rui nodded, wearily agreeing.

Nett zeroed in on Silva, who was still balancing Rui's Swinub on his head. "And you are?"

"Silva," He replied, shifting the small porcine Pokémon into his arms. "Or the man that keeps getting his ass handed to him by Cipher. Whichever works."

Wes rolled his eyes, "So you finally get it?" Silva only sighed and handed Rui back her Pokémon.

Nett grinned, a new light dancing in his eyes. "So she's gone, and the Under is only nominally less dangerous than before. That's great. Find all the freaky machine Pokémon?"

Rui shook her head. "We have two or three left in the entire Under left to Snag. Some of the Trainers were carrying them around but not answering your challenge, Wes."

Wes blinked. How could Rui even tell? "Do you see the auras coming from the Pokéballs now too?" He asked. "Because that can save us a lot of trouble later. Especially the farther along on this little crusade we go."

"It's a recent development, Wes," Rui said, "I tried to tell you before the Colosseum challenge, but you had your battle face on. No way can I get to you when you're like that."

Nett cleared his throat, "But right now you guys need to get some warm food and go to sleep, 'cause you three look dead. Bitt can look over your guys Pokémon to see if the healing machines missed anything."

Wes stifled a yawn, and found that he couldn't really argue with that logic.

* * *

In the morning, or what passed for morning in the sunless city, Wes woke up to find Rui helping Megg set up what looked like a meeting. He found the sink and washed his face and cleaned his teeth, seeing several unfamiliar faces staring at him. Other kids were milling around, from early teens down to what looked like several young children. All had serious sets to their faces, and Wes felt his heart clench a little. None of these kids should have to do what they're about to do, whatever it was.

"Alright, can I have all y'all's attention, please?" Megg called. "The meeting of the Kid's Grid, Under Division is called to order. Does anybody have any important business to voice before we call reports in?"

A kid raised his hand. Megg pointed to him, and he stood up. "Yeah, I got somethin'." He said as he dug around in his pockets. Wes saw him lift out four Pokéballs, and Rui gasped next to him. The boy shyly walked over and held them out to Wes.

"Shadow Pokémon?" Wes asked, hoping that was what they were and not just stolen Pokémon.

The boy shrugged. "No clue, mister. I saw ya battling yesterday, and the missus over there," He nodded to Rui, "kept watching certain Pokémon and some folk that weren't battling. I filched all their Pokémon. Good thing I did, too."

Wes nodded. People down here, save for a few, definitely trained their Pokémon to be lethal. He was no stranger to that. He took the Pokéballs. "Thanks, kid."

The boy ducked his head and grinned as he returned to his seat. The meeting went on, kids giving full reports on the events of the past few days. Wes learned that with Venus's disappearance, the black market had all but dried up. No foreign investors and criminals were walking the famed black alleys of the Under anymore. The shady activity that was the norm here had disappeared.

"So Lady Venus was behind managing it all?" Wes asked, the cold eyes of Venus in his mind's eye.

Megg nodded. "That she was. It's nice to be able to breathe just a little easier now."

A young girl raised her hand, and Nett pointed to her. She stood on her chair to see over the crowd of youngsters. "Is there anything you can do to help these two? Any info on these Shadow Pokémon?"

"Actually, yes, now that someone mentions it," Nett said as he held up a small data stick. "This stick contains all the information I've gathered over the course of several months. Within it is the recent activity of our enemy, and a full list of Shadow Pokémon and the people that own them. I've got copies that'll be sent out to the chapter leaders. If any of you have this in your possession and are caught, destroy it as best you can. No need to let them know what's going on under their noses."

Wes smiled as every kid in the room nodded, faces serious. He didn't know if this happened before he escaped from Team Snagem or right as it happened, but it made him feel lighter to know that they weren't alone.

The meeting ran through the last set of reports, and soon the room emptied as kids left. The seriousness of the meeting was replaced by light-hearted jokes and friendly shoves. Nett approached Wes, and held the data stick out to him. The thing was as big as a Pokéball in his grasp, and clunky.

"For you," Nett explained. "I made sure that there are spares here just in case. I also made something for you guys to use."

He grabbed a board-like contraption off of the table beside him and held it out to Wes with both hands. Wes took it, and was surprised by the weight. He gave Nett an odd look. "What is this?" Wes asked.

"A data reader for the stick," Net replied, his smile turning smug. "I stripped everything unnecessary to reading the data, and merged the screen to the controls. It's portable, and I made a small battery pack you have to plug it into to work. The battery should last you for seven months."

Wes smiled wanly. Nett was surprisingly good at preparing people for the worst. He wondered if Nett had ever met Secc and Marcia, and how well they got along. That brought another question up.

"What are you guys gonna do if the Under goes down?"

Nett shrugged. "All of our stuff is portable, and the old service elevators can get us up to friendly territory," He said. "The Pyrite Chapter would probably take us in."

"Speaking of Pyrite Town," Rui interrupted, a sleepy and bruised Silva following her. "We best get moving. Silva needs to get home."

Wes nodded. "Alright then, let's go," He held out his hand to Nett, and the boy shook it. "Gods be with you kids."

"Gods bless you, too." Was the solemn reply.

* * *

Wes was rubbing his eyes as they walked out into the mellow sunlight. Pyrite was not bustling, like it had been earlier in the season. All the nomads had packed up and left for their wintering spots up in Orre's more luscious north. Only the permanent residents were left in town. And the less crowded streets weren't the only thing that greeted them. Secc, Marcia, and Duking stood off to the left of the building.

"Back already?" Secc asked, his grin just shy of smug. "Nett too much for you to handle?"

Wes shook his head. "We only stayed for two days down there, and you act like we've been gone for weeks." He said. "Have just a little faith in us."

Secc raised his eyebrows. Duking smiled at Wes and Rui, but his expression turned exasperated as soon as he saw Silva. Silva smiled ruefully.

"Look terrible, don't I?" Silva said, meeting Duking's eyes. "I've learned my lesson by now."

"Thank Celebi for that," Duking muttered, shaking his head. "I was going over some stuff with the townsfolk, and I need my Second there to help. Gonna come?"

"Yep." Silva said. He handed Wes a slip with a string of numbers. "That's my number, if you ever need me to do anything to help. Got it?"

Wes nodded, grinning. First a crowd of kids, now men that couldn't keep themselves from being beat up. _What's next, a murder of Murkrow?_ Wes wondered. Silva jogged to follow Duking's long strides, and was soon gone. Marcia and Secc remained, which puzzled Wes. They were giving him serious looks.

"What?" He asked. Marcia had her hands folded behind her back, and she brought them around.

In her hands lay an almost-exact replica of the Time Flute that Wes had received from Vander months ago.

Wes sucked in a hurried breath through his nose, before his jaw dropped to the dirt. Rui's eyes were huge as he gently lifted the wooden flute from Marcia's hands. He carefully inspected it. Vines and flowers and puffs of wind were shallowly carved along its length, and a symbol on the head joint gave the instrument a delicate feel. It was more intricate than Vander's, but it had probably weathered the years in a box. He ran his gloved fingers over the carvings before looking at Marcia.

"Where did you find this?" Wes asked, his voice quiet. "Do you two even know what this is?"

Marcia and Secc both shook their heads. "We just thought that you could use it, 'cause you mentioned a flute before." Secc said. "So have it. We'll be doing our thing, behind the scenes."

"Speaking of you guys," said Marcia, her voice quiet. "Shouldn't you guys be getting up north, to Agate Village? Winter's about to set in and nobody likes being caught outside in the storm season."

Rui looked puzzled, and Wes jerked his chin toward the sky. Low, black clouds were set off to the west. A small breeze was whistling through Pyrite, but Wes knew that the breeze could easily turn into a wind that turned the desert sand into a substance that scoured the skins from people and non-desert dwelling Pokémon. And the weather did that almost non-stop for three months. Wes turned to Rui, seeing that she had turned pale. Now was not the time to linger.

They said their goodbyes, exchanged phone numbers (Rui told him that Agate Village's Pokémon Center had an operating telephone), and left.

* * *

It was dark out by the time the duo made it past the canyon. Wes switched his lights on, and a light rain started to fall. Rui had long ago huddled under her coat given to her by the Farth tribe, and slept through the rain. Wes enjoyed the drops that were pleasantly light, for winter rain was unforgiving. He would weather it soon enough.

The lights of Agate Village appeared out of the semi-darkness, and Wes slowed the bike to a crawl. They crossed the bridge. Wes shook Rui awake, which caused the girl to look up at him with a grumble.

"What?"

"We're here," Wes explained. "Time to go inside, where it's warm."

Rui sleepily nodded. "I like warm," She held her arm out with sleepily imperiousness. "So that means you must take me there." TO this, Wes only rolled his eyes and bit back a retort. She wouldn't remember it, and it would be a waste to voice it. He hauled Rui up, and they walked up to her grandparents' home. Her grandparents were relieved to see them, and offered Wes a place to stay. His argument to stay in the Pokémon center died as a yawn made itself known.

"That does it, young man." Bella said, grinning. "The sofa is yours for tonight."

Wes shrugged, and went inside. He was asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.

That morning, Wes woke up to gray skies and charged air. Snow wasn't a common thing in Orre, except in the mountains. But torrential rains weren't uncommon. He got up, noticing a crowd of smaller Pokémon gathered outside the window. The Flaaffy he had purified had her head resting on the windowsill, gazing at him. It let out a soft bleat at seeing him.

"Good morning to you too," Wes grumbled. "Don't y'all have something better to do?"

The crowd of Pokémon left, except the Flaaffy. It gave him a pitiful glance, and Wes felt his resistance crumble.

"Fine, you can come in."

The Flaaffy trilled and jumped through the window. It followed him to the table, where Rui and her grandparents were having breakfast. Wes let out his Pokémon outside, and they ran off to have their own breakfast. Harmatten and Leveche stayed, looking expectantly at him.

"You're in charge of your own breakfast. Scat." He said. "There's not enough for you guys. Flaaffy, go with them." The wooly Pokémon bleated mournfully, and Wes felt Leveche's mind brush his.

 _She's worried that you will leave without her. Take pity, Wes._

Wes glanced down at the Flaaffy. It bleated at him again. He rolled his eyes and muttered a "Fine…" and beckoned the Pokémon inside.

Breakfast was a normal affair. Rui's Pokémon and the Flaaffy cooed and laughed at each other as they finished their meals, and Wes felt his earlier grumpiness disappear with the introduction of coffee and food. Rui was telling Eagun about the fight with Venus, and Wes soon had to interject.

"She surprised me with that Surf attack," Wes said. "It's pretty hard to dodge a wall of water coming out of nowhere."

Eagun raised his eyebrows. "Surprised? Wes, you should have been able to hear her command. Then it would have been a simple matter of using an attack to break through the wave."

Wes thought back. He had been watching the battle, not the Trainer. He was used to battling with people that telegraphed their commands through whistles, claps, and certain noises. The calling out of commands made you vulnerable; able to be anticipated. But he couldn't recall ever hearing Venus utter a command. How had she done that? He suddenly had a thought.

"Rui, why did Venus stay in the TV studio instead of running immediately?" Wes asked. Rui shrugged. He went through every detail in his mind, turning over every piece as he thought. Finally, Rui said something.

"Maybe because it actually had space. She had pretty big Pokémon after all," She said, frowning. "Should have made too much noise, too."

 _Noise. Rushing water that hadn't been heard until the very last moment. Venus remarkably quiet in the enclosed space. His commands would carry, but none of hers. Soundlessness sinking into the very walls._

 _The walls!_

"The set had sound dampening equipment to hold noise back," Wes growled. "I wouldn't have been able to hear her, even if I tried. Whistling isn't affected by it because it's too sharp." Eagun's smile crinkled his eyes, and he nodded.

"Do you know why?" He asked. Wes shook his head. Eagun pulled his chair closer to the table, the grin giving way to a serious look. "Most professional battlefields have dampeners stronger than that to keep an audience from becoming deaf from the sounds of battle. Most trainers speak their commands in these battles, only so that the audience can follow along. But the dampeners keep the opposing trainer from hearing them. So most learn quickly to react fast or plan."

Eagun cleared his throat before continuing. "The truly good ones can harness vocal tricks and ways with words to signal their Pokémon's next move. So even learned lip readers can fall behind on the opponent's game. Out here, battles aren't a dazzling match to impress others. They're a way to survive, and to keep from being killed. So you've learned to pay attention only to the Pokémon, in case they try slipping past yours to get at you. But learning to split your attention between the two, from Trainer to Pokémon, would make you nigh unbeatable."

"Splitting my attention?" Wes said, his eyes wide with shock. "But what if I miss something?!"

Eagun gave a humorless chuckle. "Well, you have all of three months to practice. I would be welcome to teaching you, after all. Rui wouldn't be amiss to taking these lessons as well." At this, Eagun's eyes twinkled.

Wes looked at Rui as she looked at him. He wondered if he had the same look of exasperated horror on his face.

"We're so screwed." The two of them moaned. Eagun barked out a laugh.

* * *

 **A/N:** **Hello, and welcome back to the new chapter. I remember what I said about being finished this summer with this delightful story, but I've been going back and writing the last two chapters and doing the edits I need to give y'all a good story. By the time I get back to school in August, you should be getting weekly updates on Sundays. I don't want to feel guilty of leaving you people to hang for five months waiting for new chapter while juggling engineering homework and stuff.**

 **Thanks for listening, and stay tuned!**


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